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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St. Peter’s Catholic Church
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
St. Peter’s Church, erected in 1833, still stands on a ridge in beautiful Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The townspoeple carved the steps leading up to the church directly out of the hillside, composed almost entirely of shale. Despite Harpers Ferry changing hands nearly 14 times during the Civil War, the church survived the bombardments that damaged many of the structures throughout the rest of the town and served as a hospital for the casualties of both sides.
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A rarely visited marker on the Gettysburg Battlefield noting the location where Colonel George Willard lost his life leading his brigade into the maelstrom wrought by General William Barksdale’s Mississippians. The marker reads,
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The Confederate Memorial on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery, former home of Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The Arlington National Cemetery web site explains its presence by stating:
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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 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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A rarely visited marker on the Gettysburg Battlefield noting the location where Colonel George Willard lost his life leading his brigade into the maelstrom wrought by General William Barksdale’s Mississippians. The marker reads,
Read the rest of this entry »

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.
Read the rest of this entry »

St. Peter’s Catholic Church
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
St. Peter’s Church, erected in 1833, still stands on a ridge in beautiful Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. The townspoeple carved the steps leading up to the church directly out of the hillside, composed almost entirely of shale. Despite Harpers Ferry changing hands nearly 14 times during the Civil War, the church survived the bombardments that damaged many of the structures throughout the rest of the town and served as a hospital for the casualties of both sides.
Read the rest of this entry »