Dunker Church - Antietam National Battlefield

Last crawled date: 1 year, 11 months ago

The Battle of Antietam (The Bloodiest One Day Battle in American History), fought on September 17, 1862, ended the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia’s first invasion into the North and led to Abraham Lincoln’s issuance of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.. 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of savage combat. One of the most noted landmarks on this great field of combat is a house of worship associated with peace and love. Indeed, the Dunker Church ranks as perhaps one of the most famous churches in American military history. At battles end the Confederates used the church as a temporary medical aid station. A sketch by well known Civil War artist Alfred Waud depicts a truce between the opposing sides being held in front of the church on September 18, in order to exchange wounded and bury the dead. At least one account states that after the battle the Union Army used the Dunker Church as an embalming station. One tradition persists that Lincoln may have visited the site during his visit to the Army of the Potomac in October 1862. #American_History #Antietam #battlefield #church #Civil_War #National_Parks_Service