The battle of Antietam began at dawn on September 17, 1862, with a Union attack on the Confederate left. After hours of horrendous fighting and casualties, the two sides were essentially where they had started.
The next phase of the battle involved a sunken farm road, later named Bloody Lane after all the casualties which were so heavy that Confederate bodies lay stacked when Union forces finally occupied it, and that was not counting all the blue clad bodies in front of the wall. Many of the men killed here were from North Carolina units, but not the 27th.
"The 27th's moment of glory came when they were positioned just to the left of the lane. After withstanding a Union assault, they charged deep into the Union line but were eventually repulsed and took heavy casualties as they retreated. Still they held their place in the line for hours without ammunition until they were relieved."
One neat thing about the Antietam Battlefield is that you can see all of the first two actions, including where the 27th was, from the vistors center as it slopes down from it. You can't, however, see Burnside Bridge from there.
The final part of the battle took place on the Confederate right, where Union troops tried to cross Antietam Creek using a small bridge now called Burnside Bridge.
More to Come. --Old Secesh
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