Seven Days of Rain

I  saw something yesterday that startled me...

my shadow.

After a solid week of rain the sun came out, on and off, for a few hours yesterday.

 

Suddenly everything seemed strung with diamonds.

I took advantage of the break to drive down to Burnside Bridge to get a look at Antietam Creek.

I was surprised to find that although the water was high and fast, the creek is still within its banks.  North and east of us there has been a great deal of flooding.

A week of rain brings with it more than just hight water...

seems everywhere one looks...

one finds mushrooms sprouting.

Many of them are quite large and formed in fairy rings both compact:

small:

 

medium:

and large:

With rain continuing until next Tuesday...

the New York monument may be absorbed by this rapidly growing battlefield visitor.

Looking for sunshine,

just north of Sharpsburg,

Ranger Mannie

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Landscape Turned Confusing: all turned around in the Cornfield

What maps don't reveal

Reading the standard academic treatments of the battle provide a particular omniscient viewpoint, but looking at the battle from the perspective of the soldier on the ground quickly establishes the distinction between writing about history and actually making history.

Thinking about it all,

just north of Sharpsburg,

Mannie

Bull's eye for Battery B

The Picture of Professionalism

This is Battery "B" 4th U.S. Artillery, the all-volunteer artillery detachment of Antietam National Battlefield.  Mustered in 2009, the battery was the bright idea of Park Ranger Christie Stanczak (third from left) and has been operational for two seasons now.

Two weeks ago Battery "B" was summoned to Ford's Theater in Washington DC where they were presented with the Park Service George and Helen Herzog award for excellence as the National Capital Region's outstanding volunteer group of 2010.

These are some of the most committed, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable volunteers in the Park Service and I am proud to call them my friends and colleagues.

Cannoneers Post!

A local treasure-trove

The Boonsborough Museum of History is an often overlooked gem here in the Valley

 Go here to see some remarkable Antietam artifacts.

The Civil War collection is only a tiny part of the Museum's holdings.  Remarkable pieces from all continents delight the visitor.

That so much of the world, ancient and modern, should find its way to tiny Boonsboro Maryland boggles the imagination.

Check it out!

Mannie

George B. McClellan just got a whole lot smarter

After some 30 years of continuous showings the film "Antietam Visit" has finally been replaced at the Visitor Center. 

And not a moment too soon.




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