September 17, 2008 At dawn on the 146th anniversary of the opening assault in Sharpsburg, Maryland on the Antietam National Battlefield we stepped out into the cornfield as the sun was beginning to rise over South Mountain. The setting was ethereal as the mist covered the very same fields that saw over 23,000 casualties in one day (the bloodiest day in American history). Over 100 civil war enthusiasts participated in the annual anniversary battlefield walks with Rangers from the Park Service, covering the grounds from the East Wood to the cornfield, the West Woods, the Mumma Farm, Roulette farm and the Sunken Road during the morning session. An afternoon session covered the grounds from the Cemetery to the Union Approach (and Burnside's Bridge), ending in the late afternooon. We headed south through the Shenandoah Valley, stopping briefly in Lexington, Virginia for a few quick photos. Thursday we head to Tennessee and the battlefields near Murfreesboro. Antietam Cornfield at dawn, September 17, 2008. Cannon along Cornfield road at dawn, September 17, 2008. Antietam Cannon in the mist, September 17, 2008. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's gravesite in Lexington, Virginia. September 17, 2008.