Antietam National Battlefield Self-Guided Driving Tour

Tour Details

Type
Driving
Duration
1 - 2 Hours
Stories
38
Deep Dives
25

Welcome to the Antietam National Battlefield Tour

Explore and understand the Antietam Battlefield with this self-guided driving tour. See where Union and Confederate lines clashed, over and over, in a desperate struggle to maintain control. Feel the poignancy of the sacrifices made on the single bloodiest day in American history during the Civil War.

About the Tour

Welcome to a Driving tour of Antietam Battlefield at Sharpsburg is a town, Maryland! In the American Civil War, the Battle of Antietam was fought on what is now Antietam National Battlefield, in the vicinity of Antietam Creek.

You begin the Antietam tour at the Visitor Center. Driving through the West Woods was a critical natural feature during the Battle of Antietam. Once there, follow the set route in the app. Be sure to download the Action Tour Guide app beforehand (check your email for the link) so that you can start walking as soon as you arrive and drive through the famous Mumma Farm and Cemetery. By the time the Union pushes through up to that point, they find it empty, abandoned, and on fire! The retreating Confederate army destroyed the house so that the Union couldn’t use it for cover in the off chance they made it this far.

The Piper Farm to the south of Bloody Lane is Piper Farm. At the battle, the Pipers lived in a simple log cabin. Confederate generals used the farm as headquarters during the battle. Burnside’s Bridge’s next stop is a landmark on the Civil War Antietam National Battlefield. The bridge has two other names: “Rohrbach’s Bridge” and the second name “Lower Bridge.” Explore Hawkins’ Zouaves Monument, which honors the men of the 9th New York. As mentioned a moment ago, this unit nearly broke the final Confederate line. As your Antietam tour wraps up, you’ll end with the strange delectable of Antietam National Cemetery with this driving tour.

Changing travel date? No worries! Your tour is available anytime from the moment you book.

Starting Point Address: America’s National Parks Store at Antietam National Battlefield, 5831 Dunker Church Rd, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, United States

What You'll See

Welcome
Buckle up and get ready to turn your car into a time machine. We're traveling back to 1862, to the eve of the single bloodiest day in American history. We'll put you on the front lines alongside Union and Confederate forces as they vie for dominance on the field of battle in Antietam. To start, we'll introduce you to how the battle actually came to pass and give you insight into the critical mistake Union General McClellan makes before the battle even begins!
Miller House
The road takes us past the Miller House, offering a glimpse into the plight of a civilian family caught in the path of the Civil War. Miller had fled before the fighting began, but runs back to his house as bullets and artillery fly. Why? To save his pet parrot!
Cornfield Bloodbath
As we drive, the fighting really kicks off in the cornfield, where hundreds of men clash in a storm of bullets and bayonets, flattening the stalks and staining the ground red with blood. Both sides are desperate to drive the other out of the field, but can either succeed?
General Mansfield
Our drive then brings us to a monument dedicated to Major General Joseph Mansfield. Just as the battle is beginning, Mansfield leaves his untrained battalion to scout the cornfield and ascertain the situation. When he comes back, he's slumped over his horse, having suffered a mortal chest wound. His soldiers, already spooked by the fighting, are aghast. How can they hope to survive without their commander?
East Woods
We'll move next to the East Woods, where the Union has a plan. They sweep into the woods, clearing out the Confederates with ease and preparing to outflank the regiments doing battle in the cornfield. But their victory might just be short lived...
The Union Breaks Through
Next, we'll end up in the very spot where, at last, the Union manages to push the Confederates out of the cornfield and keep them out. Victory, right? Not so fast. Now, they have the even more daunting task of holding the line against increasingly desperate Confederate attackers.
Canons of Battery B
We'll continue to the canons of Battery B, where a Union lieutenant takes a deadly gamble in a bid to keep the advancing Confederates from retaking the cornfield. He puts his canons way too close for comfort to allow maximum firepower, and his men start to pay the price. But does the gamble pay off in the end?
Three Rifles Monument
The next monument we'll see is the Three Rifles Monument, which honors the 90th Pennsylvania and mimics the impromptu battlefield memorials soldiers erected during the war.
Cornfield & State Monuments
Then, we'll come to several state monuments honoring the regiments who fought and bled in the brutal cornfield.
West Woods & Nicodemus Heights
Our next stop is the West Woods. By now, the Union has a clear upper hand, but the battle is far from over. 5,000 Union soldiers charge into this forest, hoping to repeat the easy victory their comrades found in the East Woods. But Confederate cannons are waiting atop a nearby ridge. The guns rain hellfire on the Union, turning a siple advance into a desperate, life or death struggle.
Mumma Farm and Cemetery
Keep driving until you see the Mumma farmstead. As Confederate troops retreat past this point, they light the place on fire so the Union can't use it for cover. The Mumma family had already fled, but they'll come home later to find nothing but ashes.
Sunken Road & Bloody Lane
As we drive, we'll arrive at the Sunken Road, where a group of vastly outnumbered Confederates decide to make a stand against an advancing Union force five times their size. It should be an easy victory, but the Confederates dig in deep, hold the line, and lay waste to Union attackers. The fighting becomes a protracted, brutal exchange where bodies pile up on both sides.
Piles of Dead
Our drive takes us alongside the so-called Bloody Lane, where, finally, the Union breaks through Confederate defenses. But the cost has been high.
Observation Tower & Irish Brigade
Next, we'll arrive at the Irish Brigade monument, which honors the Irish Americans who fought at the Bloody Lane. Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice for their country right here. Then, we'll hear about the importance of this battle, and how everything hinges on a Union victory.
Piper Farm
Continue driving until you reach Piper Farm. While the fighting rages across the battlefield, Confederate generals use this farm as their headquarters, planning each attack, each defensive line, looking for a way to emerge victorious.
Otto and Sherrick Farms
The next couple of farms we'll pass--the Otto and Sherrick Farms--also served as Confederate outposts, because they offered broad views of the field.
Burnside Bridge
Our drive takes us next to Burnside Bridge, where another wildly unbalanced struggle is taking place. 13,000 Union soldiers try to take the bridge while a mere 500 Confederates try to hold them back. But the Union men are sitting ducks trying to cross the bridge. Bodies pile up on the bridge as the Confederates mount a fierce defense.
McKinley Monument
Next, we'll arrive at the McKinley Monument, which honors the future 25th President of the United States, and recalls a story of the boy's odd brand of heroism following the brutal struggle on the bridge.
Bottlenecked at the Bridge
As we drive, the Union men keep trying to push across the bridge, despite mounting casualties. Finally, the Confederates start to run out of ammo and have to fall back. It isn't a victory for the Union, but it moves them one step closer to winning the battle.
Final Attack
Next, we'll arrive near the site from which the Union forces assemble and launch their final attack against the Confederate lines, which by now have been forced to fall back repeatedly. We will watch the tumult of battle and gunfire, hear the beating of drums and the war cries, and, finally, see what is left after the dust clears.
Alt: 9th New York Infantry Monument
This optional detour takes us to a monument honoring the 9th New York Infantry, who almost broke through the final Confederate line in an attack which could have changed the rest of the war--but didn't quite succeed.
Alt: Tolson Chapel
Another detour takes us to Tolson Chapel, built by Black Americans just one year after the war ended.
Alt: Piper House
Our next optional stop is Piper House, one of Sharpsburg’s oldest houses. It gives us a glimpse into what the town was like even before the Civil War put it on the map.
Alt: Mount Calvary Lutheran Cemetery
This detour brings us to the Mount Calvary Lutheran Cemetery, which dates all the way back to 1768. During the battle, Confederates used the now-demolished church next to this cemetery to send orders and information to troops across the battlefield. And afterwards, the Union used the same church as a field hospital!
Alt: Antietam National Cemetery
The final optional stop is the Antietam National Cemetery, where the remains of 4,776 Union soldiers rest alongside about 200 dead from the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.

Preview the Tour

Stop 1 : Welcome

Stop 6: Sunken Road & Bloody Lane

How It Works

Additional Info

What do we do?

Well simply put, Action Tour Guide is an audio guide, map, and tour book – all in one app! We are a GPS-enabled app-based tour that narrates information based on your location right on your phone.

You can experience our driving and walking tours at your own pace and literally at any time of the day! Want to know more? Read on about why a self-guided tour is the best way to experience a place.

Antietam National Battlefield Self-Guided Driving Tour

Tour Details

Welcome to the Antietam National Battlefield Tour

About the Tour

What You'll See

Welcome

Miller House

Cornfield Bloodbath

General Mansfield

East Woods

The Union Breaks Through

Canons of Battery B

Three Rifles Monument

Cornfield & State Monuments

West Woods & Nicodemus Heights

Mumma Farm and Cemetery

Sunken Road & Bloody Lane

Piles of Dead

Observation Tower & Irish Brigade

Piper Farm

Otto and Sherrick Farms

Burnside Bridge

McKinley Monument

Bottlenecked at the Bridge

Final Attack

Alt: 9th New York Infantry Monument

Alt: Tolson Chapel

Alt: Piper House

Alt: Mount Calvary Lutheran Cemetery

Alt: Antietam National Cemetery

Preview the Tour

Stop 1 : Welcome

Stop 6: Sunken Road & Bloody Lane

How It Works

Additional Info

What do we do?

Reviews

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