Patriot Paradox

Old Simon, the massive forty-four foot seven inch, 250-ton center statue in the Antietam National Cemetery, honors the individual soldiers who died during this dreadful conflict. Dedicated September 17, 1880, this monument officially bears the name “The Private Soldier”. He forever stands watch over the 4,776 Union soldiers buried on these grounds while he faces North, towards home.
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During a recent visit to Sharpsburg, I discovered a heavy, thick fog which lent an eerie feeling to the battlefield, as if the smoke of battle lingered still.
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As we head towards the Thanksgiving weekend, and the biggest shopping day of the year on Black Friday, would you like to skip all the craziness of the mall, and get some special military-themed gifts from the comfort of your easy chair?

I’ve gone through Amazon.com and created a shopping list of specially-selected military-themed gifts that would be perfect for that military member or family on your shopping list. There are a number of categories, Read the rest of this entry »

The Bloody Angle in Spotsylvania where soldiers unleashed so ferocious a fire that the bullets themselves sawed down an oak tree 22 inches in diameter during the Battle of Spotsylvania.

Sincerely,

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One of the earliest monuments erected to the men who sacrificed during the American Civil War. Union veterans placed this monument on the fields of Manassas / Bull Run in 1865. The inscription reads simply, “In Memory of the Patriots who fell at Bull Run July 21 1861”. This view shows a portion on the monument as seen through one of the windows of the Judith Henry house.
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The grave site of Judith Henry in front of her newly reconstructed home on Henry House Hill on the Manassas Battlefield. Judith was in her mid eighties when, during the battle of first Manassas, a Union shell tore off most of her foot. She died shortly there after.
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The above images provide a small glimpse into the chaos of the battlefield and what soldiers endured as they fought for our nation’s identity. The first offers an idea of just how the bullets swarmed during some of these colossal conflicts. These malformed pieces of lead are minnie balls found on the Petersburg battlefield that collided mid-air.
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According to the current Cashtown Inn website, this witness to the events of 1863 was “Built circa 1797. The Cashtown Inn served as the first stagecoach stop west of Gettysburg.

During the Gettysburg campaign of 1863, the Inn served as Confederate headquarters for General A.P. Hill.”
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