I can't believe that up to this point in Self Indulgent Civil War History I haven't made a post for the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history, including the destruction of the Twin Towers in New York! Today is the 148th anniversary of when General Lee headed back South when he received the first defeat at the hands of the Yanks in his career after he had decided to invade the North in order to scare the Yankees into letting the Rebels walk away from the nation their forefathers had helped found, if he could not 'whup' them into capitulation.
On September 17, 1862 General Lee had a decently fortified position that led to the Battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland, known in the North as the Battle of Antietam (named after the local creek)...General Daniel Harvey Hill thought it humorous that the North and South couldn't even agree on the names of several of the battles, with the agrarian South naming the battles after the closest town and the industrial North naming them after the closest body of water. For instance, the Battle of Murfreesboro was Stone's River, First Manassas was Bull Run, Sharpsburg was Antietam, Oaks Hill, Missouri became Wilson's Creek, Shiloh, Tennessee was Pittsburgh Landing to the Yanks and the Battle of Gaines Mill was Chickahominy River.
You'll notice the dead bodies photographed in front of a little structure known as The Dunker Church due to the fact that the small congregation of pacifists worshiped the One who said He 'did not come to bring peace but the sword' in their own fashion, complete with architecturally modest structure which was directly opposed to the tall, majestic structures prevalent among many other denominations of the day. Needless to say for those of you who have followed this rambling blog, I devote two whole chapters of God Caused the Civil War to just how God was illustrating His displeasure with Americans of all sorts by staging battles nearby houses of worship. If you want to check out the book, get in touch with Westminster Seminary's Library for an inter-library loan or just write me and I'll email you as many chapters as you can stand to read!
Right now I'm listening to 'Deguello' (Slit Throat) cranked up to mind numbing decibels from the new version of 'The Alamo' [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NONil_hvUKc] and am getting ready to blast the Bejeebers out of my computer opponent at, yes, yes, The Battle of Antietam!!
Are you ready to march to the sound of gunfire?!!
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