Antietam National Battlefield ⓘ

National Park Service Waysides These information signs are located at each of the numbered auto tour stops and provide maps, photographs, and quotes. They tell the basic story of the various battles and are designed for use by the general public.

War Department Tablets Over 300 tablets provide more detailed information than the waysides and are scattered throughout the battlefield. They were created by the War Department in the 1890s to mark the location of different parts of each army during the battle. The tablets are best used to find individual regiments and follow the detailed actions of the battle. It is often difficult to use the tablets without a good working knowledge of the battle.

Monuments Primarily built by veterans of the battle and states to commemorate their sacrifices here, the monuments are typically located where the troops fought during the battle. There are 96 monuments at Antietam, the majority of which are Union. After the war, the former Confederacy was so devastated it was difficult for the veterans to raise the needed money to build monuments.

Artillery Locations There were over 500 cannons at the battle. The cannons on the field today mark the locations of cannons during the battle. The barrels of these cannons are from the Civil War; the wheels and carriages have been rebuilt. To learn more about cannons, check our Artillery pages.

Mortuary Cannons These cannon barrels, mounted on their muzzles in blocks of stone, mark the names and locations where generals were killed or mortally wounded during the battle. There are three for Confederate generals (Gens. Starke, Anderson, Branch) and three for Union generals (Gens. Mansfield, Richardson, and Rodman). Go to the Six Generals Who Died page for details.

Observation Tower Built by the War Department in 1896 as part of the early development efforts by the military to create an open-air classroom at the battlefield. The tower is located at a corner of "Bloody Lane" and is open except during inclement weather.

Historic Fencing The battlefield is currently restoring miles of historic fences that existed at the time of the battle. Using historic maps and photographs, park staff and volunteers have built two main types of fences - five rail vertical and snake, worm or zig-zag. If you see one of these two types of fences in the park, they represent where a fence was during the battle.

Antietam National Cemetery is one of the 130 cemeteries of the National Cemetery System, a system that began during the Civil War . There are 4,776 Union remains (1,836 or 38% are unknown) buried here from the Battle of Antietam, South Mountain, Monocacy , and other action in Maryland. All of the unknowns are marked with small square stones. These stones contain the grave number, and if you look closely on a few stones, a small second number represents how many unknowns are buried in that grave. There are also a few of the larger, traditional stones that mark unknown graves.

In addition, more than 200 non-Civil War dead are also buried here. Veterans and their wives from the Spanish-American War, World War I , World War II , and Korea were buried here until the cemetery closed in 1953. Recently an exception to the closure was made for the burial of Keedysville resident Patrick Howard Roy, United States Navy. Fireman Roy was killed during the attack on the USS Cole and was buried in the Cemetery on October 29, 2000.

If you walk to the back of the cemetery you will notice a few separate graves. Ironically, on the battlefield that led directly to Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, African-American graves from WWI were segregated to this out-of-the-way corner.

The Battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, on September 17, 1862, was the tragic culmination of Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. That one fateful day more than 23,110 men were killed, wounded, or listed as missing. Approximately 4,000 were killed, and in the days that followed, many more died of wounds or disease. The peaceful village of Sharpsburg turned into a huge hospital and burial ground extending for miles in all directions.

Burial details performed their grisly task with speed, but not great care. Graves ranged from single burials to long, shallow trenches accommodating hundreds. For example, William Roulette, whose farm still stands behind the Visitor Center today, had over 700 soldiers buried on his property. Grave markings were somewhat haphazard, from stone piles to rough-hewn crosses and wooden headboards. A few ended up in area church cemeteries. In other cases, friends or relatives removed bodies from the area for transport home. By March of 1864, no effort had been made to find a suitable final resting place for those buried in the fields surrounding Sharpsburg. Many graves had become exposed. Something had to be done.

In 1864, State Senator Lewis P. Firey introduced to the Maryland Senate a plan to establish a state, or national, cemetery for the men who died in the Maryland Campaign of 1862. On March 23, 1865, the state established a burial site by purchasing 11¼ acres for $1,161.75.

The original Cemetery Commission's plan allowed for burial of soldiers from both sides. However, the rancor and bitterness over the recently completed conflict and the devastated South's inability to raise funds to join in such a venture persuaded Maryland to recant. Consequently, only Union dead are interred here. Confederate remains were re-interred in Washington Confederate Cemetery in Hagerstown, Maryland; Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Frederick, Maryland; and Elmwood Cemetery in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Approximately 2,800 Southerners are buried in these three cemeteries, over 60% of whom are unknown.

In an effort to locate grave sites and identify the occupants, no one was of more value than two area men: Aaron Good and Joseph Gill. In the days, months, and years following the battle, these men freely gave of their time and gathered a large number of names and burial locations. The valuable service provided by these men cannot be overstated. The dead were identified by letters, receipts, diaries, photographs, marks on belts or cartridge boxes, and by interviewing relatives and survivors. Contributions totaling over $70,000 were submitted from 18 Northern states to the administrators of the Antietam National Cemetery Board. With a workforce consisting primarily of honorably discharged soldiers, the cemetery was completed by September 1867. In the spring of 2020, a burial map of the Antietam Battlefield was discovered in the New York Public Library.

On September 17, 1867, on the fifth anniversary of the battle, the cemetery was ready for the dedication ceremonies. The ceremony was important enough to bring President Andrew Johnson and other dignitaries. President Johnson proclaimed, "When we look on yon battlefield, I think of the brave men who fell in the fierce struggle of battle, and who sleep silent in their graves. Yes, many of them sleep in silence and peace within this beautiful enclosure after the earnest conflict has ceased."

The colossal structure of granite standing in the center of the cemetery reaches skyward 44 feet-7 inches, weighs 250 tons, and is made up of 27 pieces. The soldier, made of two pieces joined at the waist, depicts a Union infantryman standing "in place rest" facing homeward to the north. The soldier itself is 21½ feet tall and weighs about 30 tons. Designed by James G. Batterson of Hartford, CT, and sculpted by James Pollette of Westerly, RI, for a cost of over $32,000, the "Private Soldier" first stood at the gateway of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, PA, in 1876. It was disassembled again for the long journey to Sharpsburg.

On September 17, 1880, the statue was finally in place where it was formally dedicated. The journey of "Old Simon," as he is known locally, had been delayed for several months when the section from the waist up fell into the river at Washington, D.C. When retrieved, it was transported on the C&O Canal, and dragged by using huge, wooden rollers through Sharpsburg to the cemetery. The inscription on the monument reads, "Not for themselves, but for their country."

George Fisher was the last Civil War veteran to hold the postion of Superintendent of the Antietam National Cemetery. He was from Hagerstown, Maryland and had quite a distiguished career.

What would become known as the D.R. Miller farm was first established by Christopher Cruss in the 1780s, and he lived there until about 1800 before he sold it to John Myers. It was around this time that the farmhouse and barn were first built, possibly by John Myers. In 1844, John Miller purchased the farm after John Myers’ death. John invested in property all around Sharpsburg and allowed his children to live in many of the homes. John decided to let his son David R. Miller, his wife Margaret, and their six children move onto this tract north of Sharpsburg.

When D.R. moved in, the home was an ell shaped vernacular-style house, meaning construction was influenced by access to materials and the needs and building traditions of the local area more than a specific style. In addition to the main home, there were two tenant houses, a blacksmith shop, an out-kitchen, and several other structures on the property. The Hagerstown Turnpike, a main road connecting Sharpsburg to Hagerstown, was completed in 1810. The pike cut through the middle of the Miller property and separated the home from the barn, stable, corncrib, and hog pen. This wide turnpike, that was built and maintained through tolls, was ideal for both armies to easily move soldiers marching in column during the Maryland Campaign, and unfortunately it would lead huge numbers of Union and Confederate soldiers to the Millers’ front door. Once the Millers realized that the war was on their doorstep, they left their home to stay with his father in Sharpsburg.

On September 17, 1862, the fighting began at daybreak, when the Union Army’s First Corps moved south from the area of Joseph Poffenberger’s farm. The Union troops passed by the Miller residence on their way south, but were halted when they encountered Confederate troops waiting for them in the Miller’s cornfield. An intense infantry battle followed. Soldiers in the Cornfield faced artillery fire from all directions. After approximately two hours of back and forth fighting, General Robert E. Lee sent reinforcements to aid Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s exhausted troops in the Cornfield. The Confederate reinforcements pushed the Union troops back to the northern edge of the Cornfield, but then the Union Twelfth Corps arrived on the field and counterattacked. Around nine in the morning, the fighting slowed. Thousands of bullets and lives were spent in the attempt to gain control over D.R. Miller’s cornfield. In four hours of combat, almost eight thousand Union and Confederate soldiers had been killed or wounded in the area of the Cornfield. After this day, Miller’s field was simply referred to as “The Cornfield” due to the horrendous fighting that occurred there.

As the day progressed, the fighting moved south closer to Sharpsburg where the Miller family had fled to the safety of D.R.’s father’s home. During this time, David Miller realized that the family’s pet parrot Polly was still in her cage hanging from the porch when the family had gone inside to shelter. Even with shells bursting around him, Miller dashed across the porch to rescue the beloved pet. However, before he could reach the bird, the leather strap that tethered her cage to the ceiling was severed by a shell fragment, sending Polly crashing to the ground. The story that D.R. Miller told was that he heard the bird cry, “Oh poor Polly!” as it fell. Luckily, both Polly and David made it safely back into his father’s house.

Upon their return home, the Millers were greeted with a gut-wrenching sight. It was evident that their home had been the center of some of the Civil War’s most ferocious fighting. Miraculously, the home and barn were relatively unscathed, and only the blacksmith shop was destroyed. However, the Miller’s crops were decimated by the savage fighting that had taken place. Union General Joseph Hooker recalled the scene that played on the Miller’s farm, saying that, “every stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field was cut as closely as could have been done with a knife, and the slain lay in rows precisely as they stood in their ranks a few moments before. It was never my fortune to witness a more bloody, dismal battlefield.” When the Millers returned they saw the food stored in the barn that had been previously harvested being distributed to the Union soldiers and to the wounded still on the field. The wounded from the Miller farm were quickly moved a quarter mile north to a field hospital.

For days after the battle, Union burial details buried their comrades in graves near where they fell. Once the Union dead were interred, they also buried the Confederate dead. Miller’s farm fields were ideal for burials: the soft soils of farmed land made the gruesome task much easier compared to the untilled earth and so many had fallen in this small parcel of land. This made farming his fields very difficult for Miller in the several years following the battle. It took five years for the National Cemetery to be established for the reinterment of the Union soldiers, and then another two to five years for the reinterment of Confederate soldiers in three local cemeteries. Despite the best efforts of soldiers and locals to track where roughly 5,000 men had been buried in the fields, it was impossible to locate everyone.

The Millers continued to live on the farm for the next twenty years. When his father, John Miller, died in 1882 he left a large amount of property to his eight children. However, he left no recorded will that dictated how his estate should be split among them. Unfortunately, his siblings would fight over D.R. Miller’s property, which he had lived on for almost forty years. A bitter court battle ensued, which lead to the sale of the property; the revenue was then divided amongst all of John’s children. In 1883, D.R. and Margaret Miller purchased the farm, but they sold it a little over two years later to someone outside of the family, Euromus Hoffman. A couple of years later, Margaret died on November 13, 1888. David died in September of 1893.

The home stayed in the Hoffman family until 1933. The property changed hands several times, until in 1989 the farm was sold to the Conservation Fund. A year later, the Fund donated the property to the National Park Service. The home has been restored its 1862 appearance and is being persevered to ensure future generations have the opportunity to learn about the Millers. The fields are leased out each year to local farmers to raise crops and livestock. Even though the Cornfield is not always planted with corn for the health of the soil, the living farm program is important for preserving the agricultural landscape and history of the battlefield.

Antietam National Battlefield is still one large cemetery. In 2008, a hiker in the park discovered a ground hog hole in the Cornfield with bones in it and alerted park staff. An archeological dig revealed bones, clothing scraps, a belt buckle, and brass buttons with the New York insignia. Upon examination of the bones, it was determined that the soldier was roughly seventeen to nineteen years old. The young man was returned home to New York, and was buried in Saratoga National Cemetery with full military honors on September 17, 2009, one hundred and forty-seven years after he gave the ultimate sacrifice in the Miller Cornfield.

This was Samuel Mumma Jr.’s response to Sergeant James F. Clark of the 3rd North Carolina Infantry who wrote to the postmaster of Sharpsburg, Maryland in March of 1906. When Clark sought information about the family whose home he helped destroy in the battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, he had no way of knowing that the postmaster who received his letter was actually Samuel Mumma Jr., the son of the owner of that farm. Samuel wrote back to Clark and informed him of the Mumma family’s experience during and after the battle. He outlined the damage done to their family and ended with his acceptance of Clark’s actions. To understand the magnitude of Samuel Jr.’s act of forgiveness, we must understand what the Mumma family lost that fateful September day.

At the time of the battle of Antietam, Samuel Mumma Jr. lived with his parents, Elizabeth and Samuel Sr., and nine of his siblings on their 151-acre farm. Members of the German Baptist Brethren, their ancestors had fled religious persecution in the Rhine River Valley. They first arrived in Philadelphia in 1732. They settled in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and remained there until May of 1796. At that time, Jacob Mumma moved his family to the Sharpsburg area. In the following years, Jacob purchased the property that would become the Mumma farm. Jacob bought the land from the Orndorff family who built the original home, barn, and outbuildings. Jacob’s son, John, was the first Mumma to live there. During this time, the family expanded the home with a two-story brick addition. After this modification, the house looked very similar to how it does today, save for a first-floor addition built in 1919.

In 1831, Jacob sold the house and land to his youngest son, Samuel Mumma, Sr. Samuel successfully farmed the property for next 30 years. In 1860, the value of their farm totaled $11,000, well over $300,000 adjusted for inflation to 2020 dollars. Along with running a thriving farm, Samuel Sr. was father to a large family. He married Barbra Hertzler in 1822. The couple had five children, including a son who died in infancy. In 1833, their last child, a daughter, was born. The baby and Barbara tragically died shortly after the birth. Samuel remarried a few months later to Elizabeth Miller. Samuel and Elizabeth had eleven children, one of whom, Samuel Mumma Jr., would later go on to become the postmaster of Sharpsburg and receive Sergeant James F. Clark’s letter.

Sunday, September 14, 1862 began just like any other for the Mummas. Being German Baptist Brethren or “Dunkers,” the family started their day by walking the short distance from their home to a small white church on the western edge of their property. That church, the Dunker Church, stood on a 4.5-acre plot of land that the Mummas had donated to the congregation. This place of peace was where the Mummas would spend the morning of September 14, unaware that life would soon change forever. During the church service, they began to hear the rumble of artillery fire as the Battle of South Mountain raged just six miles to the east. Following the end of services, members of congregation gathered at the Mumma farm for an uneasy noontime meal. The children, who had been playing outside in the yard, ran inside to report growing clouds of smoke forming on the mountain. War had come to this peaceful community. By the next morning, soldiers had arrived in the area and the people of Sharpsburg realized that another battle would soon take place. Samuel Jr. described his family’s experience as they fled to safety:

“My father was told the family had better get away, so we left on Monday afternoon the 15th, took nothing with us as they were cannonading then, and we were afraid there would be a great battle at once. Some clothing was gotten together and the silverware packed in a basket, ready to take but in our haste to get away, all was left behind. Father and mother and the younger children left in the two-horse carry … all going about four miles, and camped in a large church called the Manor Church.”1

In their haste to leave, the only thing the Mummas brought with them was a gold pocket watch that Samuel Sr. grabbed on his way out of the house. He hung it around his youngest child’s neck to calm her as they fled their home. The family sheltered at Manor Church safe from the battle. However, when they returned, they found that all they owned was gone.

The Mumma home was the only structure deliberately destroyed during the battle. Around 6:30 am, Brigadier General Roswell S. Ripley, whose brigade had been stationed to the south and west of the Mumma farm, ordered his troops to burn the home. He was concerned that enemy sharpshooters would use the structure as cover to pick off his Confederate soldiers. Members of the 3rd North Carolina Infantry led by Sgt. James F. Clark volunteered for the task. Clark, “recalled throwing a torch through an open window and onto a quilt covered bed. Within a few moments the whole house was in flames.”2 The fire would quickly spread, and by 7:30, the house and outbuildings were in flames. A stray Union artillery shell would set the barn ablaze and completed the total destruction of the Mumma farm. The soldiers who fought on the northern end of the field witnessed the fire raging from about 6:30 to 11:00 am. The bright flames and mass of smoke further added to the confusion and chaos of the battlefield. A soldier of the 83rd New York remarked that, “just in front of us a house was burning, and the fire and smoke, flashing of muskets and whizzing of bullets, yells of men …were perfectly horrible.”3 Night brought an end to the fighting, but the nightmare for the Mummas had just begun.

The family returned on September 19. All that remained of their once prosperous farm was the stone shell of their springhouse and three brick walls of their home. The Mummas, left with nothing, stayed at the home of their neighbor, Joseph Sherrick, through the winter of 1862. It took nine months, but the Mumma family rebuilt their home using the surviving brick walls. They moved back in in June of 1863, just before the Confederate army once again moved through the area on its way to Gettysburg. The Mummas, like their neighbors, petitioned the federal government for compensation for the loss of their home. Government officials refused on the grounds that Confederate, not Union, soldiers were responsible for the burning of the home. The Mummas never received a dime for what they lost. Despite this, with the help of friends and family, they were able to rebuild and return to their farm. The family attempted to move on and forget about those horrible September days. They were successful until that day in March of 1906 when Sergeant James F. Clark’s letter arrived. We can never know why Samuel Mumma Jr. responded so kindly to Sergeant Clark. But Samuel Mumma Jr.’s words of forgiveness serve as a reminder that compassion can be found even in the worst of circumstances.

The farm remained in the family until 1885, when it was sold to Rezin D. Fisher. The property changed hands several more times until it was purchased by the National Park Service in 1961. The Park Service would allow the owners, Hugh and Hattie Spielman, to live there until 1985. In the mid-2000s, the Mumma house and farm became the park’s Education Center. Today, thousands of children come every year to learn about the battle of Antietam and the story of the Mumma family. The Mumma Education Center serves to preserve the memory of the Mumma family and how through tremendous struggle and hardship, they were able to rebuild and forgive.

Joshua Newcomer and his wife had seven children and lived on the west bank of the Antietam Creek. They owned a sizable portion of land and ran a prosperous farm and industrial complex along the main road from Frederick to Sharpsburg. The Newcomer’s had no idea that the fall of 1862 would bring war, death, and destruction to their doorsteps.

In 1762, Christian Orndorff, a settler from Pennsylvania, purchased 512 acres near the Antietam Creek, and began developing the property that would be later known as the Newcomer farm. He called the tract “Mount Pleasant.” Orndorff built a large three-story home and barn. He also constructed a grist mill, sawmill, and plaster mill along the Antietam Creek. The mills were powered by the seemingly endless flow of creek water. During his ownership, Orndorff expanded the complex to include several workshops and a cooper shop. The property bordered the main thoroughfare connecting Frederick and Sharpsburg and became a center for commerce. Local farmers brought their grain to the mill to be processed and turned into flour for personal use and sale.

In 1786 Christian Orndorff transferred the milling business to his son Christopher, who continued developing the property. He constructed a home not far from his fathers, and this is the structure that we recognize today as the Newcomer house. Christian continued running the milling operation until the early 19th century, when it was purchased by the Mumma family. The property changed hands several times from 1806 to 1853, when Joshua Newcomer purchased 156 acres of the land formerly known as Mount Pleasant . For almost a decade, the Newcomer family enjoyed the tranquility of the Antietam Valley, before war shattered their peaceful existence .

Confederate and Union forces began arriving in the Sharpsburg area following the battle of South Mountain on September 15th. There were skirmishes on and around the Newcomer property as Union forces tried to secure the Middle Bridge. Captain John C. Tidball of Battery A of the Second U.S. Artillery described the cannonade near the bridge on the 15th in his after action report: “In a few minutes they opened a fire of Artillery; upon which I brought my pieces into position, on the crest of the hill to the right of the road, and fired in reply”.i Tidball recalled that the exchange of fire began around noon and persisted until dark that evening. Skirmishes continued on the 16th, and as the day came to a close nearly 100,000 soldiers settled down for a restless night of sleep knowing that battle was eminent.

At dawn on September 17th, shots rang out breaking the morning calm as Union soldiers left the cover of the North Woods and moved into a field of corn ready for harvest. Union soldiers attacked south through the Cornfield encountering Confederate infantry and artillery fire from Nicodemus Heights and the Dunker Church plateau. A soldier from the First Texas described the Cornfield as, “the hottest place I ever saw on this earth or want to see hereafter. There were shot, shells, and Minie balls sweeping the face of the earth; legs, arms, and other parts of human bodies were flying in the air like straw in a whirlwind. The dogs of war were loose, and ‘havoc’ was their cry.” Around 9:30, Union forces continued moving south, and fought Confederate forces under D.H Hill in the Sunken Road. At 10:00, a cannonade erupted near the Newcomer property, as General Fitz John Porter ordered the Fifth Corps to advance. Captain Tidball recalled the events in his after action report:

I was ordered to cross the turnpike bridge over the Antietam where I took position on the right of the road. In front the enemy's Sharpshooters were posted and there being no infantry at hand to drive them back, I opened fire upon them with Canister, and gradually worked my guns by hand up a steep ploughed field to the crest of the hill where I placed them in a commanding position not only for the enemy directly in front, but for an enfilading fire in front of Sumner's Corps on the right and that of Burnside on the left of me. The enemy's batteries all the while were very active, but with some exception his practice was bad.... On the 17th I had one private--Hitz killed, and one severely and two slightly wounded and 10 horses killed. I fired in all about 1,200 rounds.

The Fifth Corps advanced across the Middle Bridge pushing Confederate forces back and successfully occupied the high ground, moving to the outskirts of Sharpsburg by day’s end. After twelve grueling hours, the Battle of Antietam was over. Twenty-three thousand soldiers were missing or had been wounded or killed.

In the wake of the battle, the Newcomer house, barn, and mill, like many of the structures surrounding the battlefield, became a field hospital for wounded soldiers. Several days after the battle, a photographer named Alexander Gardner visited Sharpsburg and took photographs of the devastation. He Newcomer property is featured in several photographs. Gardner captured the Middle Bridge, the original Orndorff home, and several out buildings of the mill complex.

The Newcomer family returned to their home to find that they had not been spared from the destructive storm of battle. Joshua Newcomer submitted a claim to the United States government requesting compensation for the damage done to his property,

On or about 17th day of September 1862 a portion of the U.S. (Army) under the command of General Porter (V Corps) encamped on and near said farm, and on the four days immediately succeeding said battle appropriated for their immediate use a large quantity of his property including 4,964 fence rails, 28 panels of board fence, 42 panels of board fence 16 feet long, 1 sorrel horse, 18 acres of corn and fodder, and the uncut hay on 77 acres of pasture land.ii

The Newcomers claim amounted to over $3,000 dollars in damages. However, they only received $145 dollars as compensation because it was apparently unclear whether Union or Confederates caused the damage. The Newcomers crops and property were devastated during the fall of 1862, and they never recovered financially . The family left the Sharpsburg area for a time and eventually returned to Maryland and settled in Clear Spring. The milling complex changed hands several times and operated until the late 1880s. After nearly a century, the milling operation along Antietam Creek was shuttered, but its story continues.

The only structures that remain on the Newcomer property are the house and barn; Maryland Route 34 divides the property in half. The National Park Service acquired the barn in 2003, and it was restored in 2014. A private owner restored the Newcomer house in 2000, and the National Park Service purchased the structure in 2007. In 2010, the Newcomer house opened to the public through a partnership between the National Park Service, the Heart of the Civil War Heritage Area, and the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, as a visitor center. Here, you can find information on Civil War sites in the Heritage area which spans three counties, peruse exhibits, and participate in monthly programming. You can find out more about special programs by visiting this website: http://www.heartofthecivilwar.org/newcomer-house . You can be a part of the Newcomer story by visiting the historic farmstead and enjoying a peaceful walk along Antietam Creek, imagining a time when peace was no where to be found.

On the morning of September 19, 1862, the detritus of a bloody battle was very evident in the small town of Sharpsburg, Maryland. The heavy scent of wood smoke and decaying flesh consumed the small community located near the Potomac River and Antietam Creek. Leaving his brother Samuel’s farm near the river, Henry Piper and his wife Betsy, made their way to their farm located on the other side of town near the Hagerstown Pike. Both prayed that the main house and outbuildings had not been destroyed by the event that took place on the previous Wednesday, September 17.

It had been a week filled with terror for the Piper family. On Monday, September 15, the vanguard of the Army of Northern Virginia arrived in the Antietam Valley following a battle on South Mountain. That afternoon, Confederate Generals James Longstreet and Daniel H. Hill found their way to the Piper home and informed Mr. Piper that his residence was selected as their headquarters. Staff officers, orderlies, soldiers and horses soon established themselves around the house as the army prepared for battle. Although Henry Piper was known in the community as an ardent Unionist, he felt it prudent to welcome his unexpected guests with dinner and other refreshments. As dinner was served, the Piper sisters offered the generals some of their homemade wine. General Longstreet politely refused the offer, but General Hill had no qualms and drank from the cup offered to him. After seeing no ill effect on Hill, Longstreet changed his mind saying, ”Ladies, I will thank you for some of that wine.”

Warned by the Confederates of the approaching battle, the couple, three of the six children and the enslaved people residing on the farm “quickly packed what they could carry into a wagon, and Elizabeth buried her dishes in the ash pile”. Mary Ellen Piper remembered their flight: “We left everything as it was on the farm, taking only the horses with us and one carriage”. The Pipers headed first to the Killiansburg Cave along the Potomac River but eventually took shelter at the Samuel Piper farm.

The Henry Piper Farm was centrally located astride Lee’s defensive line on September 17. From a plateau behind the Piper farmhouse, General Lee and Major General Longstreet saw the columns of Union troops on his front and his flanks. In addition, Confederate artillery batteries sited their targets from this high ground. By 9:00 A.M., two Confederate brigades anchored down the so-called “Sunken Road,” six hundred yards north of the Piper Barn, and it served as a fall back position for troops engaged to the North. Major General William French and Major General Richardson drove their divisions towards the Sunken Road through the Mumma and Roulette Farms beginning at 9:30 A.M. Meanwhile, Confederate Major Gen. Richard Anderson maneuvered his division around and through the Piper buildings and orchard. These Confederate regiments withstood the fire of four Union batteries of twenty-pound Parrot rifled cannons coming at them from a distance of two miles on their right. By 11:00 A.M., the Sunken Road had become a death trap for the Confederate defenders. Receiving fire from three different directions, the Confederate battle line broke for the rear through the Piper Orchard towards the Hagerstown Pike. Hit by a Confederate shell fragment, Major General Richardson was mortally wounded and carried from the field. Major General George McClellan ordered his replacement, Major General Winfield S. Hancock, to call off the attack and consolidate the Union position north of the Sunken Road. That evening, the 7th Maine Regiment of the Sixth Corps received an order to advance towards the Piper Barn. The Confederates drove back the ill-fated attack, which resulted in many Union casualties.

The following day, neither side renewed the battle, and the Piper farm became a no man’s land between the lines. On the evening of the 18th, Lee took his army back across the Potomac River and returned to Virginia.

On September 19, the farmers and townspeople of Sharpsburg warily returned to their houses and farms. The Pipers were relieved to find their house, barn and out buildings still standing. Inside their home, however, laying underneath their prized piano were two dead Confederate soldiers. The Pipers’ personal possessions were strewn around the buildings and Union soldiers were butchering the livestock that had not been driven off. Their farm and their lives were in shambles. The Union army stayed in Sharpsburg for the next six weeks.

Eventually, Henry Piper filed a claim to the federal authorities for assorted damages to his property and livestock. Although the board of claims awarded him $2,488, he did not receive payment because he did not produce a certificate of loyalty. Twenty-four years later, Henry sued the U.S. Government and one of the witnesses was former enslaved person Jeremiah Summers.

Henry and Elizabeth moved to Sharpsburg in 1863 and resided at a house they had purchased in 1857 following the death of Henry’s father. This house is still located at the corner of Main and Church streets in Sharpsburg.

In April of 1864, a company of the 19th United States Colored Troops headquartered at the Methodist Episcopal Church in Sharpsburg was accused of seizing “diverse colored men, free and slave” for service in the Union army. One of those men was young Jeremiah Summers who was only 15 at the time. Henry Piper found the lad at the church headquarters and took him back to the farm. Piper claimed that Jeremiah could not serve because of his age. Not convinced, eight soldiers from the company roughed him up and put him under arrest. He was released on the condition that he produce Jeremiah. The soldiers took Jeremiah away as the people of Sharpsburg townspeople loudly objected.Henry journeyed to Frederick, Maryland and voiced his complaint to the Provost Marshal who thereupon released Jeremiah to his custody. Later, many citizens of Sharpsburg submitted a petition to Major General Lew Wallace and demanded an investigation.

After Maryland emancipated slaves in 1864, Jerimiah continued to work and reside on the Piper Farm as a paid employee of Henry’s son Samuel. Henry retired to his elegant stone house and later employed Jeremiah’s son Emory. After Henry Piper’s death, he provided Jeremiah with a small cottage and garden near the Sunken Road. Jeremiah Cornelius Summers died in 1925 at the age of 76 and is buried in the Tolson’s Chapel Cemetery of Sharpsburg. Elizabeth Piper died on January 19, 1887 and Henry succumbed five years later on January 14, 1892.

The Piper Farm that Henry and Elizabeth bought from his father in 1854, was composed of 184 acres and had the only commercial apple orchard in that part of Washington County. Each fall, the cider press located near the stone barn produced many gallons of cider for sale. Six other buildings surrounded the modest farmhouse: the kitchen/enslaved quarters, root cellar, store house, smokehouse, and the barn. The slave quarters were located in the stone house west of the main house. In 1850, Henry owned four slaves and his father owned five slaves. To accommodate these two families, the quarters were divided into two sections with a loft above each section. By 1860, there were six slaves on the farm, five of them children. A kitchen was also located in this building. The Pipers also employed a sixteen year old free black farm hand named John Jumper. The main house had two levels and a root cellar. The second level included the parents’ and children’s rooms. On the first level was the parlor and the center of activity. The piano provided hours of entertainment for the family and guests.

The Piper Farm remained in the family until 1960. The Park Service bought the property from the Antietam-Sharpsburg Museum, Inc. in 1964 for $75,000.

The legacy of the Piper family lives on to this day. The Park Service leases out the fields to area farmers and the apple orchard has been re-planted. As the seasons, change, the memories of the hardships that the Pipers and their neighbors endured will never be forgotten. To learn more about what our Natural Resource Division is working on in the Piper Orchard, click here.

When the Civil War began in 1861, Joseph Poffenberger and his wife Mary Ann had no way of knowing that it would arrive on their doorstep nearly a year later. Their home sits just a few miles north of Sharpsburg, Maryland. By September of 1862 their house and belongings would be claimed by the greatest conflict our country has ever experienced. Today, their home and property sit empty but are maintained and preserved by the National Park Service. However, the story of the Poffenberger family and farm continues.

Originally the plot of land where the Poffenberger farm sits today was owned by James Chapline, son of Sharpsburg founder Joseph Chapline, in the late 1700s. The nearly 1400-acre plot of land would eventually be divided and leased or sold in family-sized tracts. Nearly 272 acres would eventually be sold to Christian Middlekauff. Through this time a house, shed, wash house, wagon shed, and corn crib were constructed. From 1813 to 1833 the property exchanged hands among the Middlekauff family and their spouses. In 1833 the farm was owned by Daniel Nekirk, husband of Rosanna Middlekauff. Daniel mortgaged the farmstead to nearby neighbor, Jacob Coffman as insurance for a loan of $3,000 dollars, due to paid over the span of 10 years. Daniel constructed a bank barn, equipment shed, icehouse, and smokehouse to expand the farmstead, suggesting that Daniel was using the money to make improvements on the farm. By the fall of 1833 both Daniel and Rosanna Nekirk would pass away, leaving Jacob Coffman to take ownership of the property in 1843. Jacob Coffman would remain the sole owner until 1852 but by 1850 the United States Census listed Joseph and Mary Ann Poffenberger as the residents of the home. Two years later, the property was officially sold to Joseph Poffenberger.

By 1880 Joseph Poffenberger turned over managing of the farm to his nephew Otho Poffenberger and his wife Elizabeth. When Joseph passed away in 1888 Otho purchased the farm, updated the house, and constructed an addition to the back of the main house. Otho continued to live on the farm until his death in 1932. During Otho’s ownership the United States War Department purchased a tract of land that runs across the front of the property in order to construct a tour road, known today as Mansfield Avenue. This road allowed the War Department to erect historic markers, tablets, and monuments dedicated to the fighting that occurred in this area. After Otho’s passing in 1932, by another Joseph Poffenberger, Otho’s son, purchased the property. In 1944 Joseph Poffenberger deeded the property over to his relative, Elmer Poffenberger who remained the owner until 1966. Fred and Renee Kramer were the last private owners of the property and on June 8, 2000 the National Park Service purchased the land and structures. Under the Park Service’s ownership, the structures were stabilized and restored to their 1862 appearance. The only structures missing are the smokehouse, kitchen and the tenant house.

By September of 1862, the Poffenbergers had worked for months to fill their barn with stores of food, large stacks of hay to feed their livestock filled the loft. Orchard trees were loaded with apples, peaches, and plums. The store house was stocked with smoked meat. They had every reason to believe that winter of 1862 would be spent comfortably. Joseph and Mary Ann had no children of their own, but they did allow several members of their extended family to stay with them over the years. In 1862 their nephew Josiah and an orphan they had taken in, Isaac Mallott, were both living on the property.

On September 16th, soldiers warned many of the residents around Sharpsburg of the coming battle. Thousands of troops streamed onto the field from Boonsboro, Maryland after the battle of South Mountain and soon the armies would re-engage the fighting around Sharpsburg. Many of the Poffenberger’s neighbors fled a few miles north to the Manor Church, which was of the same denomination as Antietam’s Dunker Church. It is unknown where Joseph and Mary Ann sheltered during the battle. The area around Sharpsburg was home to many of their relatives so it is possible they might have stayed with family until the danger had passed.

By the evening of the 16th hundreds of soldiers of Union General Joseph Hooker’s I Corps had arrived in the area around the Poffenberger farm. They had been ordered to cross the Antietam Creek that evening; once across they set up camp around the Poffenberger home. The high ground just north of the farm became an ideal location for Union artillery and the barn became headquarters for Joseph Hooker as his men settled in for the night. Some of Hooker’s men skirmished with the left flank of the Confederate line in the woods just south of the Poffenberger property on the evening of the 16th, but the real fighting erupted the next morning.

As the sun began to rise on the morning of September 17th, Confederate cannons on the Dunker Church plateau and Nicodemus heights opened fire on the soldiers around the Poffenberger farm. As the First Corps surged forward toward the Confederate line, the area quickly transformed from a camp to a field hospital as the injured were brought back from the front lines. As Union surgeons worked tirelessly to treat as many of the injured as they could, they quickly exhausted their supplies. Around noon, the Poffenberger farm received another historic visitor, Clara Barton and her wagons of much needed medical supplies. More information about her can be found here.

After the fighting was over and Lee had retreated across the Potomac, Joseph and Mary Ann returned to their home. They found weary Federal soldiers camping all over their property and discovered that nearly all their belongings stolen or destroyed. Joseph recalled “I returned to my house; it was completely empty. I had nothing left. I lived on army crackers that I found on the battlefield for five days.” 1 The Union army would stay encamped on the Poffenberger property until late October. In that time soldiers continued to devour the stores of food and livestock that belonged to the Poffenberger family. According to the claim that Joseph filed against the Federal government his losses included: • 500 bushels of wheat • 60 bushels of rye • 150 bushels of oats • 80 bushels of potatoes • 20 tons of hay • 240 pounds of bacon • 28 acres plus 200 bushels of old corn • 18 loads of fodder • 14 tons of straw • 20 acres of pasture • 7 beef cattle • 20 swine • 13 sheep • 5 cords of hickory wood • 7 cords of oak wood • over 5,350 fence rails (described as a worm fence, nine rails to the panel), • 50 bushels of apples • 4 four barrels of cider • 4 bushels of peaches • grapes on the vine • 2 bushels of dried cherries and plums • 10 gallons each apple, plum and peach butter2

Joseph Poffenberger claimed it was valued at $2,277.53 but it was “disallowed” by the government because they could not prove what was originally in their or that the United States Army had taken all the missing supplies. Joseph Poffenberger never received any reimbursement from the government. Over thirty years later, in 1893, the estate was finally awarded $1918.00 in compensation for Joseph’s war claim.

Today Joseph and Mary Ann are both buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland. Mary Ann passed away just two years after the Battle of Antietam, and it is possible that her death was caused by an increase in disease due to the unsanitary conditions and mass burials around Sharpsburg. Disease was not only the biggest killer of soldiers during the war but was also responsible for the deaths of many of Mary Ann’s neighbors. Joseph Poffenberger would never remarry and was buried next to his wife on June 13, 1888 at the age of 76. Today visitors can still walk the grounds of Joseph and Mary Ann’s home. The house and exterior buildings sit empty today, in order to protect the resources and visitor safety the structures are no longer accessible. The surrounding land is leased by the Park Service to local farmers so long as they plant period-accurate crops. Today, the farmstead serves as a window into the past, allowing park visitors to see a near perfectly preserved farmstead of Sharpsburg from the 1860s.

Two days before the battle of Antietam, a soldier pounded on the door, and when they answered, a Union soldier told the Prys that the Union Army of the Potomac was taking over their farm. Fifteen thousand soldiers of the Union Second Corps settled onto their property all day on September 15. The next day, a throng of officers moved into the house itself including the army’s commander General George Brinton McClellan. McClellan’s primary headquarters was located just to the east outside of the town of Keedysville, but from there General McClellan could not see Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia that has massed on the hills just west of Antietam Creek. Edmund Randolph Brown of the 27th Indiana remembered that,

“from that higher ground a view could be had of some of the positions of the enemy. Soldiers of the Twenty-seventh relate that General McClellan and other officers came, during the afternoon of the 16th, and were taking observations from this high ground. So many soldiers gathered around them that they drew the fire of a rebel battery. The general did not retire himself, but he gave personal directions for the soldiers to do so.”

McClellan spent the night before the battle in the Pry House. Philip Pry also stayed at the house. Mrs. Pry and her children escaped to a safer location at the Keedysville farm of Jacob Keedy. McClellan remained at the Pry House on the seventeenth and except for when he advanced across Antietam creek, McClellan and his staff would watch the battle though field glasses from the family home and yard. A reporter with the Boston Journal wrote:

Turning from the conflict on the right, I rode down the line, toward the center, forded the Antietam and ascended the hill east of it to the large square mansion of Mr. Pry, where General McClellan had established his headquarters. The general was sitting in an arm-chair in front of the house. His staff were about him; their horses saddled and bridled, were hitched to the trees and fences. Stakes had been driven in the earth in front of the house, to which were strapped the headquarters telescopes, through which a view of the operations and movements of the two armies could be obtained.

It was a commanding situation. The panorama included fully two-thirds of the battlefield, from the woods by the Dunker Church southward to the hills below Sharpsburg.

Allegedly, McClellan went to the attic of the house where there was a trap door and stood on a barrel to look out over the battle. There is still a trap door in the roof of the house today.

On the high ground adjacent to the house, McClellan’s Chief of Artillery placed some of his long-range rifled cannon. All day on the seventeenth the heavy guns pounded southern soldiers a mile to the west. The Pry House was also advantageously situated to be able to receive signal flag messages from both the left and right wings of McClellan’s army. Historian Willard Brown wrote:

At 10 a.m. (September 16), there had been established on the field at Antietam a station communicating with the lookout on Washington; one with the left of General Burnside's forces, that connected with Elk Mountain; and one on the right with General Meade. A station of observation had been constructed on the crest of Elk Mountain (Red Hill) at the gap cut for the convenience of the officers and designated by the soldiers ''McClellan's Gap." The extensive view from this position commanding Sharpsburg and Shepherdstown, and also main points of the battlefield, with its approaches …. All the stations established were placed in communication with the central station at headquarters (Pry house) …. Lieutenant Stone remained at headquarters where he received the messages constantly coming in from all parts of the fields.

As the battle raged across the creek, soldiers and officers at all levels of command were shot down. General Joseph Hooker, who led the Army’s First Corps, was struck by a bullet early that morning. He was brought to the Pry House so that surgeons could tend to his wounded foot that had filled his boot with blood. A shell fragment struck Major General Israel Richardson as he led the Union attack at Bloody Lane. Eventually moved to the Pry House, Richardson was treated there for his injury and for pneumonia. When she heard about her husband’s condition, Richardson’s wife Frances, along with her sister-in-law, travelled to Sharpsburg to care for him. Frances wrote, “Israel is slowly but steadily improving [but he] has grown very thin and very weak. He is very much depressed, not at all like himself, and inclined to look on the dark side, more than is good for him.” While Israel Richardson was recovering from his injury, President Lincoln visited him at the Pry House. Richardson’s wound became infected and he died on November 3, 1862 in the upstairs bedroom. Mrs. Pry claimed that the reason Richardson died was because his wife and sister gave him things to eat against the doctor’s orders. Frances and his sister-in-law had his body embalmed and accompanied his remains back to his home state of Michigan.

Antietam National Battlefield is well known for its role in American history. The battlefield, located in the Great Valley region of the Appalachian Ridge and Valley province, encompasses over 3,250 acres of farmland, pastures, woodlots and limestone forests.

In 1992, the Antietam National Battlefield General Management Plan was approved, outlining goals for restoring the battlefield to its 1862 appearance. The plan includes projects such as replanting of historic woodlots and orchards, re-establishing original fencelines, lanes and trails, as well as maintaining the integrity of the historic farmsteads.

The areas in natural cover at the battlefield offer a haven for many different species of plants and animals, and also provide a number of secondary benefits including water and air quality enhancement, ground-water recharge, storm flow moderation, and recreational enjoyment.

As part of a region-wide effort, the National Capital Region Network (NCRN) monitors resources in the natural areas of Antietam. One of the biggest efforts is the monitoring of forest vegetation in 12 plots spread throughout Antietam's forests and historic woodlots. In all plots the trees, shrubs, vines, and herbs are identified to group or species, measured, and labeled. They are also checked for diseases, pests, and evidence of deer browse. Special note is made of both rare and invasive plant species.

Birds are of particular interest and are monitored twice each year at 14 sites in Antietam's forest areas. In 2015, NCRN conducted a pilot of grassland bird monitoring at 90 plots within Antietam. Resource briefs and further information about NCRN monitoring at Antietam can be found here.

NCRN has also written articles on birds at Antietam and forest regeneration at the park. Visit this site for podcasts on many of the natural features found at Antietam .

During the spring and summer of 2003, an inventory of vascular plants at Antietam was conducted by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. Ten meter square plots were setup at forty randomly chosen locations to survey the plants in both upland habitat and habitat near streams and ponds. The plots were marked, GPS’ed and all plant species were identified and inventoried within each plot. Areas outside of the plots were also walked through to identify plant species not contained in the plots. The 2003 study identified 371 plant species at Antietam. The six most abundant species identified at this time include: Common Hackberry, Multiflora Rose, Boxelder, Japanese Honeysuckle, Garlic Mustard and Oriental Ladysthumb (aka: Bristled Knotweed or Bunchy Knotweed). Four out of these six species are exotic (non-native) plant species. Park managers are currently working to control exotic plant species to preserver and protect native plants and restore the original habitat. Future plant research efforts will include monitoring the established sample plots, conducting an inventory of fall flowering species/ spring ephemerals, and conducting an inventory of forty new plots. Future inventories will also focus on identifying species that are common in the region but have not yet been identified in the current park inventory.

No matter how innocent wildlife may appear, it is important to view the animals at a distance. They can carry rabies and should not be approached or handled.

WHITE-TAILED DEER are common in the park. These brown and white deer can be seen most often in the early morning and early evening hours.

OPOSSUMS are the only marsupials, or pouched mammal, found in North America and are common. They look much like a large rat, having a long body and a pointed nose.

LONGTAIL WEASELS, although rarely seen, are the most common of their kind in the region. They have a long, slender body with short legs. Weasels are one of the most useful animals in the park since they are very effective at controlling the rodent populations.

MINK are also rarely seen mammals and have a long thin body and dark fur. They are found near streams.

RED FOX have a sharp nose, bushy tail and reddish coloring, overall resembling the appearance of a medium sized dog. Although they are more common than the gray fox, spotting one is quite rare.

GRAY FOX, as the name implies, have gray fur. This fox is rare in the area so anyone spotting them is very fortunate.

STRIPED SKUNK are well known for their black fur with two white strips going down their back, and for their ability to spray a foul smelling musk. People have little to fear from the skunk unless it feels threatened.

Take the opportunity to better experience the rural landscape of one of America's best preserved battlefields by walking one of Antietam's trails. The trails are gently rolling, but the surface can be slightly uneven, so good walking shoes are recommended. For a safe and enjoyable hike, please stay on the trails. Safety concerns include poison ivy, stinging nettle plants, stinging insects and be sure to watch for groundhog holes. The park is open during daylight hours. Additional information is available for some trails.

Antietam Remembered - 1/4 mile loop with paved walkway This trail loops to significant landmarks and monuments near the visitor center, including the historic Dunker Church and the Maryland State Monument.

Bloody Lane Trail - 1.6 mile loop This trail starts at the visitor center and winds through the historic Mumma and Roulette Farms, following in the footsteps of Union soldiers as they advanced toward the Sunken Road where you can explore the Confederate position in what has been known since the battle as Bloody Lane.

Cornfield Trail - 1.25 mile loop This trail starts and ends at Auto Tour Stop 4 -The Cornfield. The trail covers most of the area where the early morning action of battle took place. There were more casualties in and around the Cornfield than anywhere else on the battlefield.

Final Attack Trail - 1.7 mile loop This trail starts at Auto Tour Stop 8. After capturing the Bridge, over 8,000 Union soldiers crossed Antietam Creek. They marched across the fields where the trail is located for the final advance to drive the Confederate Army from Maryland, only to be turned back by A.P. Hill's final Confederate counterattack.

Sherrick Farm Trail - 1.3 mile one way This trail starts at the intersection of the park tour road and State Rt. 34. It meanders through farm fields and woodlots typical of Antietam. The trail ends at the famous Burnside Bridge. The hike is hilly and please use extra caution crossing modern Burnside Bridge Road.

Snavely Ford Trail - 1.8 mile loop This trail starts at Auto Tour Stop 8. The Snavely Ford Trail follows Antietam Creek for much of its length. The hike is mostly flat and shady except for one uphill climb at the end of the trail.

Three Farms Trail - 1.6 mile one way This trail connects the north end trails to the south end trails (see map for reference). It also takes you to some of the quietest and most beautiful areas of the park. The trail connects to the Bloody Lane Trail in the north and the Sherrick Farm Trail in the south. For groups or others with more than one vehicle, a great option is to have one car at the visitor center and a second at the Burnside Bridge and walk from one end of the battlefield to the other.

Tidball Trail - .3 miles one way Trail starts at the historic Newcomer House and takes you to one of the best overlooks on the battlefield and explores the area where the Union 5th Corps crossed the Middle Bridge over Antietam Creek.

Union Advance Trail - 1 mile loop This trail starts at Auto Tour Stop 8. This trail crosses Burnside Bridge and makes a loop on the east side of Antietam Creek. The hike explores the area where the Confederates defended the Burnside Bridge, and then crosses over the creek to where the Union Ninth Corps made their advances to capture the bridge.

West Woods Trail - .9 mile loop This trail starts and ends at Auto Tour Stop 5 and will take you to some of the key spots associated with the fighting in the West Woods. It is just under a mile in length and is mostly shaded.

Partner Resources that can enhance your Antietam hiking experience Kids in Parks is an expanding network of family-friendly outdoor adventures called TRACK Trails. Each TRACK Trail features self-guided brochures and signs that turn your visit into a fun and exciting outdoors experience. Best of all, you can earn PRIZES for tracking your adventures! There is a TRACK Trail at Antietam that the entire family can enjoy. The Civil War Trust has Battle App®guides that will help you unlock American history —from the battlefield or from home. All of the GPS-enabled guides can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play to use on your iPhone, iPad, iPad touch or Android device, or go to their app pages to get started.