
On a recent trip to Maryland, my husband and I visited the national park at Antietam, the site of a ferocious one-day battle on September 17, 1862, in which 23,000 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded, or went missing. We were fortunate to be there at the tail end of a week and a half series of lectures and living history events commemorating the 153rd anniversary of the encounter. Our visit began with a fascinating overview of the role of the United States Sanitary Commission in improving the lives of the soldiers, especially at the front lines (we were surprised to learn that over two-thirds of the 622,000 men who lost their lives in the Civil War died from disease rather than from battle).… Read More