Remembering Antietam

**I realize that I've missed the Anniversary by a few days. I regretfully had too much homework to do a proper write-up at the time, but am posting it now.

Antietam. It's the battle I've studied most, but I still get a bit of a gut-wrenching shock when I hear the word. There was so much death in so little time, on so little land. Granted, the entire war was bloody. The entire war was tragic. One casualty is too many, because that's a home without a father or a son or a brother. But at Antietam, 23,000 men fell in under 12 hours.

The eastern edge of the Bloody Cornfield

The sun rose over a heavy fog on September 17th, 1862 in Southern Maryland. By the time it set and the fog had burned off the land, it had taken its place as the bloodiest single day in American history. Between a cornfield, a sunken farm lane, a little church, and a small stone bridge, 23,000 casualties were inflicted between the two sides, leaving both armies badly battered. Tactically it was inconclusive, as neither the attacks nor the defense had gone as planned. Ultimately, George McClellan was able to claim a strategic victory for the Union, as Lee's army would withdraw from Maryland in the days following. Years later, history would regard the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg to be a major turning point in the Civil War for having shifted the advantage to the Union, and boosting their flagging morale. It opened the door for Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, changing the very face of the war itself. History's course was altered dramatically, yet again.

Burnside's Bridge, site of the third and final phase of the battle.

As we mark 150 years since that warm September day, I propose that we take just a minute to think of those 23,000 men as more than a number. Some fought for ideals while others fought for pay, but by and large, ordinary soldiers on both sides fought not primarily for politics, but for country, family, honor, and loyalty. The soldiers and civilians alike of the War Between the States deserve more than a mention in a textbook here and there--their legacy is a part of American today, whether it's realized or not.

The Bloody Lane in the evening

"History never looks like history when you are living through it."
-John W. Gardner

Eating Cookies is a Bad Way to Deal with Disaster

This week. I do declare.

I seem to have abandoned Quote Thursday some time ago, but here is one that is helping me to contextualize some things right now:

"We must expect reverses, even defeats. They are sent to teach us wisdom and prudence, to call forth greater energies, and to prevent our falling into greater disasters."

-General Robert E. Lee

If The General can deal with the downfall of the Confederacy and having to surrender his entire army, I can deal with an art professor who seems bent on my ultimate destruction. I dearly love this quote--it helps me to remember that God's plan can be rocky and painful at times, but we'll never know what we've been spared through our current problems.

With lots of caffeine and the support of my dear lovely best friends, I can finish the semester! In only two weeks I will never have to deal with these classes again, and it's my last class ever with the professor who is the source of my current *cougheverpresentcough* dismay. HURRAH!!!

Also, I remembered too late that eating cookies in response to distressing circumstances:
a) does not lastingly fix the problem, and
b) makes wearing my corset much less comfortable when I plan to don my ball gown.

Quote Thursday *coughSundaycough*

This week's quote is several days late... homework has eaten me alive!

Here is another Civil War General quote that I love to pieces:

You've gotta love Stonewall Jackson! Not going to lie... I cry at the end of Gods & Generals every time I watch it, and I am not a "cries during movies" type. Consequently, I can't watch the full film on my iPod in the art studio while working on my homework. If I were to start weeping bitterly out of nowhere, my best friend would undoubtedly be concerned and ask me what was wrong. Wailing "Stonewall Jacksoooon, nooooo!" would probably not be socially acceptable. The same goes for watching Gettysburg... Armistead/Hancock makes me tear up every time. Oh well, I suppose there is something to be said for passion!

Happy Palm Sunday!

Quote Thursday

New plan: post an awesome (preferably historical, in keeping with the blog's theme) quote every Thursday! 

Things are pretty up in the air on every front for me right now... so here is a Robert E. Lee quote that I find myself frequently referring to. (Most of my favorite quotes are from the General, so expect him to surface again!)

Remember to look at the big picture!