06-21-2021, 10:02 PM
Hey Tim-
Very interesting prose poem, and the first person narrative is an effective re-creation: who the hell really knows the savagery that took place on what is considered the bloodiest day in US history.
After this battle McClellan was removed from command because he didn't chase Lee across the Potomac, even though the Union troops outnumbered Lee's Confederates. 22,000 + dead and wounded in one day probably drowned that thirst for blood.
Less than a week after this Union "victory" is when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. So, your piece offers a tangent to the recent declaration of Juneteenth as a Federal holiday, and I'm betting that influenced this one.
Though it not a long drive, I have visited Antietam only once, and that was more than enough. After seeing the the Sunken Road, aka Bloody Lane, among what once were cornfileds it was easy to see what a death trap it must have been. It was eerily peaceful...
Thanks for sharing this one,
Mark
Very interesting prose poem, and the first person narrative is an effective re-creation: who the hell really knows the savagery that took place on what is considered the bloodiest day in US history.
After this battle McClellan was removed from command because he didn't chase Lee across the Potomac, even though the Union troops outnumbered Lee's Confederates. 22,000 + dead and wounded in one day probably drowned that thirst for blood.
Less than a week after this Union "victory" is when Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. So, your piece offers a tangent to the recent declaration of Juneteenth as a Federal holiday, and I'm betting that influenced this one.
Though it not a long drive, I have visited Antietam only once, and that was more than enough. After seeing the the Sunken Road, aka Bloody Lane, among what once were cornfileds it was easy to see what a death trap it must have been. It was eerily peaceful...
Thanks for sharing this one,
Mark