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Antietam National Cemetery is no longer active, it was closed in 1953.
However, one exception was made in 2000 when Patrick Howard Roy, a United
States Navy veteran, was killed during the attack on the USS Cole. There
are 4,776 Union soldiers buried here, of which 1,836 are unknown. There
are also 261 veterans from other wars buried at the cemetery. Antietam National
Cemetery was dedicated by President Andrew Johnson on September 17, 1867
- the fifth anniversary of the battle. Planning started on the cemetery
though in 1864, when Maryland State Senator Lewis P. Firey introduced a
plan to establish a national cemetery. The plan was approved, and in March
1865 the state purchased 11¼ acres to be used for the cemetery. Although
the cemetery was dedicated in 1867, the large Private Soldier monument that
is located at the center of the cemetery wasn't dedicated until September
17, 1880. The monument, sometimes called "Old Simon", is enormous
- it weights about 30 tons and stands 21½ tall! The statue is a Union
infantryman who is facing the north. Antietam National Cemetery is maintained
by the National Park Service. It is very well taken care of, and it's a
beautiful place to visit.
The Battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, on September 17, 1862, was the tragic
culmination of Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. That one fateful
day more than 23,110 men were killed, wounded, or listed as missing. Approximately
4,000 were killed, and in the days that followed, many more died of wounds
or disease. The peaceful village of Sharpsburg turned into a huge hospital
and burial ground extending for miles in all directions.
Antietam National Cemetery is one of the 130 cemeteries of the National
Cemetery System, a system that began during the Civil War. There are 4,776
Union remains (1,836 or 38% are unknown) buried here from the Battle of
Antietam, South Mountain, Monocacy, and other action in Maryland. All of
the unknowns are marked with small square stones. These stones contain the
grave number, and if you look closely on a few stones, a small second number
represents how many unknowns are buried in that grave. There are also a
few of the larger, traditional stones that mark unknown graves. |
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