ANTIETAM: Where James Longstreet helped man the guns

BATTLEFIELD BACKSTORY: After the Confederates were finally forced from the Sunken Road at Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862, a wave of Yankees threatened the Rebels' thinly held center on Henry Piper's farm. A battery of Miller's artillery had been positioned near the Sunken Road at about 10:30 a.m. to support the infantry in the lane. Later, one of the battery's caissons was hit by a Union artillery shell, and Confederate artillerymen were killed or injured, leaving the gun crews short during a critical juncture in the battle for the Rebels. Among the soldiers to come to the rescue was General James Longstreet himself, wearing carpet slippers instead of boots because of a sore heel. He held the bridles of horses of some of his staff, who went into action as artillerymen in Piper's apple orchard.
(Click on image to enlarge and click here for all posts on this blog.)

ANTIETAM: William Roulette farm field near infamous Sunken Road

(Click on image to enlarge and click here for all posts on this blog.)

ANTIETAM: An afternoon at Bloody Lane

BATTLEFIELD BACKSTORY: No visit to Antietam, of course, is complete without a stop at Bloody Lane. The best time to shoot photos here is early in the morning, especially in the fall. The 132nd Pennsylvania monument in the lane, barely visible to the extreme right, is great subject matter at sunrise. (Click on image to enlarge.)(Click at upper right to enlarge and click here for all posts on this blog.)