Bleaching In Upturned Furrows

The State of Maryland bought the land that would become the Antietam National Battlefield March 23^rd 1865.

Maryland State Senator Lewis P Firey introduced a plan in 1864 to the Maryland Senate to establish a cemetery for the men who died during the 1862 Maryland Campaign.  A committee made up of the House and Senate met, "to inquire into the propriety of purchasing, on behalf of the State, a portion of the battle-field of Antietam, not exceeding twenty acres, for the purposes of a State and National Cemetery, in which the bodies of our heroes who fell in that great struggle and are now bleaching in the upturned furrows, may be gathered for a decent burial, and their memories embalmed in some suitable memorial."   An eligible sight was selected on the battlefield and the state purchased eleven and a quarter acres on March 23^rd 1865 for $ 1,161.75.

Aaron Good and Joseph Gill had spent the years since the battle locating and recording the names of the dead.  The two men used diaries, letters, marks left on grave, receipts, photos, and interviews with survivors to make identifications.  With contribution coming in from 18 Northern states, the money was raised to have the dead moved and reburied in the Antietam National Cemetery.  The original plan called for both Union and Confederate dead to be buried, but the Southern states where unable to send any money for the re-interment their soldiers.  The burials were completed by September 1867, and done mostly by discharged soldiers.

On September 17^th 1867, the fifth anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, President Andrew Jackson gave the speech dedicating the Cemetery.  He said as part of that speech, "When we look on yon battlefield, I think of the brave men who fell in the fierce struggle of battle, and who sleep silent in their graves. Yes, many of them sleep in silence and peace within this beautiful enclosure after the earnest conflict has ceased."

If you are interested in reading more about the cemetery, I recommend looking at Cemetery Dedication 1867

An Outburst Of Applause

Two hundred people gathered at Four Locks, Maryland January 31^st 1861 to raise a “Union Pole, and listen to speeches made by local dignitaries.

Four Locks, Maryland was a small community located in Washington County and lying along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal.  The town was on a peninsula known as Prather’s Neck.  The locks which gave the town its name were built between 1836 and 1838 to avoid a four mile long loop in the Potomac River.  As it was located about half way between Cumberland, Maryland and Washington, DC and was a frequent stop for canal boats.

With southern states moving toward secession, parts of Maryland held fast to the Union.  A pro-Union meeting was held in Four Locks, Maryland January 31^st 1861.  About 200 people there put up a 113 foot tall “Union Pole” with a banner on the top reading “The Union Forever”.  There many speaker including Lewis P Firey; a member of the Constitutional Union Party, whose speech caused “the wildest outburst of applause”.

That summer many of the residents enlisted in units that formed in the nearby town of Clear Spring, Maryland.  Four Locks was also located on the path of Confederate cavalry on their way to raid Chambersburg, Pennsylvania in 1864.  The Confederate burnt several buildings on their way through.