Veterans Day

Let us pause today to remember our Veterans both past and present

Just as this tank appears to be doing, our military is standing ready. Ready to protect our great nation from harm and ready to extract a terrible price for acts of aggression against us

This image is of a Viet Nam era M60 Tank
now displayed as an American Legion Monument

Antietam, Parting Thoughts

As we leave Antietam I hope you have enjoyed viewing this series as much as I have sharing it. These photographs were taken one beautiful morning in late August as I roamed this sacred ground. I much prefer to visit such places when no crowds are present as it allows me to reflect upon what transpired here.

As I walk these grounds I feel as if I am in a sanctuary, much the feeling of reverence I experience in a house of worship but much stronger. The combatants upon this field were all American, some from the North and some from the South. Both sides worshiped the same god and asked their god to protect them and to give their side the victory. Many were good and a few were bad, but you could not separate them by the uniform they wore.

This war was fought to decide whether State’s rights came before the powers of the Federal Government. The issue was slavery.

Looking back I have difficulty understanding how a people who worshiped Christ and read the same Bible I read could have conceived and perpetrated such an institution but then again it is also difficult for me to understand how this same people took this land from its rightful owners, the Native Americans, through centuries of ethnic cleansing.

I have no answers, only questions as I contemplate the history of this great country. I have listened to preachers tell how our country was founded upon biblical principles by God fearing men and I am left to wonder when I look at the “skeletons in our closet”.

Antietam, Parting Shots

The final Union Assault was upon the Confederate right across what is now known as Burnside’s Bridge. This attack finally failed about 5:30pm with the arrival of Rebel troops under the command of Gen. A. P. Hill. The troops moved immediately into line of battle upon arriving after an exhausting seventeen mile march from Harpers Ferry effectively stopping the Union advance.

This cannon sits near where the Union troops entered Burnside’s Bridge.

A co-worker/friend of mine is taking a photography class taught by a former National Geographic photographer. The assignment for the fifth class is to shoot a scenic. He is required to shoot either in the morning between the hours of 7-9am or he may choose the evening between 5-7pm. I mentioned to him that Antietam would be a great place to shoot and took the opportunity to share this series with him. Following our conversation I began to make some mental notes concerning why I prefer the morning in most cases.

First I must admit I am a morning type of guy. My favorite part of the day is that peaceful time just before the sunrise. If you have ever shot anything other than the occasional snapshot I am sure you understand the effect of low angle lighting and its ability to enhance a photograph but naturally it is present both morning and evening.

Morning though is unique, heavy dew can make a scene sparkle or even become the subject itself. Ground fog can also be used to our advantage in many ways, and last but certainly not least; if the light is not correct for the shot envisioned, just wait, for it will improve. If this same situation presents itself in the evening the only remedy will be a return trip.


If it were necessary to choose between the two I am sure I would choose the morning but with that being said I would sorely miss the warm light that can only be found during a beautiful sunset.

Antietam, the Center

After the early morning attack against the Confederate left failed to break the enemy line, Union action moved to the Rebel center. The Union advance was halted by troops holding a very good position in the Sunken Road, soon to be renamed Bloody Lane.

The ferocity of the fighting here is demonstrated by the information contained on a plaque commemorating the 14th Indiana Infantry. Of three hundred and twenty officers and men engaged here from 9:00AM until 12:15PM, thirty were killed and one hundred and fifty wounded.

I captured this image through the rail fence that runs along the north side of The Bloody Lane

A Glimpse through the Window of Time

I glanced out the window of the Dunkar Church and was transported back in time. A small Confederate formation stood by their encampment, the same ground occupied by Stonewall Jackson’s troops in 1862.

This humble church, the sanctuary of worship of a small German Baptist sect became the objective of the Union Army 1st Corps commanded by General Hooker on the morning of the 17th, the bloodiest day in American History.

Silent

The Artillery pieces stand silent as they have for nearly one and a half centuries; a memorial to the men who fought and died here, a memorial to the day when the fate of our country hinged upon the actions of the men who met upon this field of battle.

As I walked the battlefield in the early morning my thoughts were interrupted only by the occasional biker or jogger. In the calm of the morning it was difficult to contemplate what the battle on this very ground must have been like. I tried to envision the movement of the troops, the sounds of the cannon and musketry, the yells and screams of the men. I tried to imagine the dash and daring along with the terror, the pain, and immense carnage but to little avail.

Antietam lies Peaceful and Calm

September 17th, 1862 Remembered

September 17th 1862 remains the single bloodiest day in American History.

Two Great Armies met at Sharpsburg Maryland one hundred and forty five years ago today to contest the right of states to leave the Union. A union created just some eighty years earlier. The north remembered this terrible battle by the name of the creek that flowed through the contested ground, Antietam. While in the south it was known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. Nearly twenty three thousand causalities were the result of this single day of fighting, all American. To put the causalities into perspective, this day totaled more than was suffered in the American Revolution, The War of 1812, The Mexican War, and the Spanish American War combined.

This photograph is of the historic Rohrbach's Bridge, forever known since that fateful day as Burnside’s Bridge. I captured this image one misty morning as the first rays of sunlight fell upon it.

July 4th, Independence Day

While we celebrate this Independence Day let us not forget the cost. So often we honor our men and women in uniform past and present as the ones who have sacrificed that we may enjoy this great gift of Freedom. Let us not forget the sacrifice of their families at home. We cannot forget the mothers longing for their sons return, the young wife wondering if her child will ever see Daddy, the father lying down to rest after a hard days work only to find sleep will not come as he worries about what is happening to his son’s unit currently deployed in the desert sands. Let us not forget the grief of the families who’s loved one returns as a casualty of war.

Let us not waste the Great Gift of Freedom for which they all have paid so dearly. Our media thrives on reporting about what is wrong with America. Reports of our problems fill our air waves; friction between races, ethnic groups, citizenship status, political parties etc is reported by news anchors who’s demeanor suggest that they are an authority on each and every story they report when in fact they are only actors who’s job it is to drive ratings with no regard for the damage they may do.

In this age of Globalization some business leaders think only of the short-term profits outsourcing off-shore can bring. Wall Street money managers coolly calculate their next strategy of how to legally separated working people from their hard earned cash. We are over run by politicians whose main concern is filling their campaign chest that they may once again win reelection while representing their major campaign contributors and not the citizens of their district.

It is the responsibility of each citizen to let his or her voice be heard. Write your politicians, vote, attend local government meetings, become involved in your community,

IF YOU ARE NOT A PART OF THE SOLUTION
YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM!

Collage Notes: The banner in memory to Christopher Cutchall is from a memorial display on the side of his parents barn, The Helo’s along with the Marine & Sailor are images from the dedication of a Memorial for a young local Marine KIA in Iraq. The tombstone is that of my Great-Great Grandparents. Great-Great Grandfather served with Company B 3rd Regiment Maryland Volunteers in our Civil War.

A Historic Sunrise

Some folks are night-owls who stay up late into the night and arise from their beds long after the day has begun. They do not know what beauty they have missed. The dawn of a new day is frequently a glorious sight.

Saturday morning is my time to greet the dawn, some times from the mountain tops and some times in the valleys. Soon I will meet the sunrise on the Chesapeake Bay but on this Saturday I met the dawn by the Potomac River.

This river holds particular significance in the history of our country for along much of its course it was the dividing line between the North and the South during our country’s Civil War. As I stood along the historic river I thought about the time many years ago when General Stonewall Jackson and his troops were deployed along the far bank with the artillery on the hills beyond. From their position they shelled Union positions in the small town of Hancock to the left of the photograph. The Confederates spent a day looking for a place where the troops could cross giving the Union time to bring up reinforcements. Stonewall; upon learning of the arrival of Union reinforcements withdrew his troops.

At another time it was learned that Pennsylvania’s Governor Curtain would be passing through nearby. A plot to kidnap the Governor was conceived and Confederate troops quietly crossed the river hiding in a culvert nearby. Their officer along with a small detachment went to do reconnaissance and ordered the remaining troops to remain hidden until their return. The men became restless and a few went out to do reconnaissance of their own. They discovered a cold storage business and stole some ice cream. Shortly after getting back to the culvert their commanding officer arrived. The men, not having ever seen ice cream before hid it under their hats where it quickly began to melt, running down their faces. The soldiers had been discovered, their plan foiled and they quickly returned across the river

The Tonoloway Primitive Baptist Church

This church, established in 1752 served as the Union hospital during the siege of Hancock. A few years ago restoration work began and as the wall paper was striped away a number of places were found on the wall where the wounded had written their names and the date of their stay.

Veterans Day

First known as Armistice Day, this day was set aside to honor the end of hostilities on the western front of World War One. The armistice took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918. Following WWII its designation was changed to Veterans Day.

How naive our leaders were for they called WWI the war to end all wars, yet in only two decades WWII was in the making. We have put our troops in harms way many times since that day, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Panama, Grenada, Iraq, Bosnia, and Afghanistan to name a few. Our troops always go as ordered, that is their job.

Whether we as individuals agree with the actions of our government, it is always imperative that we support our fighting men and women. We cannot have another Viet Nam, where our troops returned only to find that many of our people mistreated them for doing the job that in many cases they had no choice but to do.

Today let us honor our troops, both past and present. They perform a service that without which we would not have the freedoms we so dearly cherish.

This photo is a memorial to our first local casualty in the current action in Iraq. The memorial is on his parent’s barn. Christopher was an army scout only in Iraq a month before an IED hit his convoy and took his life leaving behind a wife and two small sons.

September 11th 2001 Remembered

In an abandoned strip mine near Shanksville Pennsylvania the first battle in the war on terror was fought and won. Five years ago today our World Changed

Many times down through history there have been watershed events that brought irrevocable change to the lives of the people. The Boston Tea Party, the secession of South Carolina, the assassination of Austrian Archduke Francis Ferdinand, the election of Adolf Hitler just to name a few. September 11th 2001 was one of these events. The world changed that morning, never to return to life as we knew it. Never again will we feel that terrorist acts are something that only happens somewhere else. Never again will hijackers find airline passengers to be passive. Two countries have been invaded. Will we someday look back at this event as the beginning of World War III.

Only the future will tell.

We have visited Shanksville twice since that day. It is nothing spectacular, just a grass covered strip mine. The impact site is beside the grass covered mound in the top photograph. This mound was formed from the material sifted through during the investigation. The small temporary visitor’s center is surrounded by memorials that everyday people have placed there to memorialize their friends, family and fellow countrymen who's lives were given that day. The mood of the visitors is that of reverence. It is the same as one experiences in church, only more so. Everyone speaks in hushed voices, there are no children running and playing, no one laughs, no one calls out to their friends.

All who visit understand the significance of that fateful day and of the good Americans who left this life fighting for what all good Americans believe in.

Honor for a Fallen Hero

On a hot July afternoon many gathered to pay tribute to a Fallen Hero.

Marine Lance Cpl. Steven Szwydek was killed in action near Nasser Wa Salamm Iraq during October of 2005.

On this day a bronze memorial was dedicated in his memory. This photograph was taken during the dedication prayer at the statute. A very touching moment at a dedication honoring a young life cut short at the tender age of only twenty.