Patriot Paradox

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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Monument to the 24th Michigan Infantry
on McPherson’s Ridge at Gettysburg
Elsewhere on the field, along the southwestern edge of Culp’s Hill, a small marker notes the location where the remnants of the 24th Michigan dug in after a brutal first days fighting. The simple stone reads:
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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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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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