The guns have been silent for 162 years. But Antietam today thrives with hundreds of thousands of visitors from across the country. Recently, we’ve seen a big uptick in European visitors who say that they are just absolutely flummoxed that the U.S. witnessed such terrible infighting when the country’s founding fathers issued in their proclamation nearly 100 years prior that “all men are created equal.”
It’s just been so gratifying to hear from returning and new visitors how they appreciate the intimate knowledge that both Harvey and Deirdre command of the entire battle.
It’s also interesting that our European friends, after they learn about the ferocity of the fighting on September 17, 1862, reminds them of another ferocious battle that took place on their continent 81 years ago: The Battle of Stalingrad.
That was a six-month fight, with Soviet losses pegged at 1 million and German losses nearly 800,000. To us, it seems that, given the armaments of the day in 1862, the scale and ferocity of the fighting, obviously no street battles like in Stalingrad, but nonetheless, for the era, matched Stalingrad’s.
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