Sunken road traveler

This morning I was walking the historic Sherrick farmstead on the Antietam battlefield. Behind the ruins of the barn I found this old wagon, slowly deteriorating during its long and leisurely retirement. I think about the innumerable loads of hay and grain it hauled down the sunken road of the Antietam valley. After the battle that little road forever became known as "Bloody Lane".



















































As I've mentioned before, when you come to Antietam, bring a camera.

Fire on the Mountain:

Last month I took a trip up to Fox's Gap to try and get a handle on that portion of the Battle of South Mountain. Unlike most other Civil War battlefields which are characterized by a fairly defined area, the action at South Mountain ranged across many miles of rugged mountain ridgeline, fields, and forest.

Although a Union victory, the battle of South Mountain was also an important achievement for the outnumbered Confederates who managed to hold off the Federal forces long enough to expend much of Union general McClellan's forward momentum toward Sharpsburg.

As a prelude to the Battle of Antietam, the action on South Mountain is often overlooked, as are the sites of the battle: Turner's, Fox's, and Crampton's Gaps. These images were made on a sunny morning in early March up in Fox's Gap.

This monument marks the place where Union General Reno was killed on Sept. 14, 1862 in the action at Fox's Gap

The rugged terrain of the mountain's crest. Imagine fighting here wearing the smooth-soled shoes of the typical Civil War soldier!

The Confederate's view from the top of the mountain with Catoctin mountin in the distance. Frederick Maryland lies in the valley between.

Being from Michigan, my eye was caught by a typical State of Michigan roadside historical marker here in Maryland. This one commorates the South Mountain participation of the 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment, part of the Ninth Corps. Three days after the action on South Mountain the Ninth Corps would be stymied for many hours at Burnside's Bridge in the final phase of the Antietam battle.


A walk down a trail at Fox's Gap is rewarded by this monument to North Carolina troops in a beautiful setting.

The good Folks at the Central Maryland Heritage League (working with the National Park Service) have done heroic work to preserve the battlefields of South Mountain and have also produced a fine interpretive brochure with the title "Fire on the Mountain: The Battle of South Mountain". The brochure provides
essential narrative and lots of background information on the action. It includes a map of the tour route to the various sites.

Note: Although this region is a beautiful one to get lost in, I'd advise anyone making the tour to back up the brochure map with an accurate county map, the roads and lanes of this Washington County sometime seem to have minds of their own.

Volunteers-in-Parks PARK DAY!

April 1st is park day at Antietam National Battlefield. Nearly 100 volunteers showed up this morning at 9:00 a.m. to do a variety of tasks at our nation's best-kept (and best kempt) Civil War battlefield park. Needless to say; a good time was had by all









Volunteers arriving for a day of fun, fellowship, and hard work.






Some volunteers spent valuable time painting fences and historic structures.










Before the new paint can go on the historic Sherrik corn crib, the old paint has to get scraped off.









Others helped build traditional fences along historic boundary lines.









Volunteer (and trash bag dragger) Nick reminds us that every volunteer is a hero.

VIP: Volunteers in Parks

They're your national parks. You can passively support them with your tax dollars, you can actively enjoy them by visiting them, or you can participate in them by volunteering! See where you may fit in by going to:
http://www.nps.gov/volunteer/

Volunteering is cool!

Making my daily bread

The green badge of courage

Today it was off to North Hagerstown High School, as a music teacher, for Pete's sake! I never know from one day to the next what my classroom experience will be like. So far, Kindergartners and H.S. juniors and seniors are my favorites. With the little tots all you have to do is keep reading to them and be alert to their bathroom needs. When a five-year-old sez he has to go, consider his clock is already about run out. Kindergarten is also great because math consists of thngs like identifying the quarter, the dime, and the nickel...even I can do that! High schoolers are great because usually they've started to develop a good degree of maturity and sophistication, sometimes even conversational skills.

Todays crop was perfectly pleasant. Very raucous band students...all enthusiasm and no malice (its important to not confuse the two). Also some very talented young musicians.


Mr. "G", have credentials, will travel.

Yesterday I had three periods of seventh graders for a middle school science class in Boonsboro. It was odd how two of the classes were great kids and the third was pretty unhospitable. Must've had something to do with "funny hat day" I guess.

I'll just sit tight and see what tomorrow brings.