Burying the dead at Antietam II

[RyanBWeddle]

TITLE: [View on Battle-field of Antietam]


CALL NUMBER: LC-B815- 569

[P&P]

REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-cwpb-00548 (b&w copy scan)
No known restrictions on publication.
MEDIUM: 1 negative : glass, stereograph, wet collodion.
CREATED/PUBLISHED: [Sept. 19, 1862]

Not sure if this has been posted before. Interesting view of the more dead/burial parties at Antietam.

[CJSchumacher]

Re: Burying the dead at Antietam II

TITLE: [View on Battle-field of Antietam]


CALL NUMBER: LC-B815- 569

[P&P]

REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-cwpb-00548 (b&w copy scan)
No known restrictions on publication.
MEDIUM: 1 negative : glass, stereograph, wet collodion.
CREATED/PUBLISHED: [Sept. 19, 1862]

Not sure if this has been posted before. Interesting view of the more dead/burial parties at Antietam.

Hey man,

Those pics tell such a story...you can almost feel the misery with such a horrific task. Interesting to note the details in the photos...such as the one gent's lowered hardee crown and his apparent "state"-type jacket with shoulder straps.

Good pics...brought to life even more through today's relevant events in the Middle East.

[Peachfuz]

Re: Burying the dead at Antietam II

Ryan,
Great post! Do you think the fellas in the foreground are captured Confeds.? The fella on the right could be wearing an RDII, plus the armed Fed. and the fellow standing above them with his hand on his hip reminds me of other photos of POWs I’ve seen.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Burying the dead at Antietam II

Anybody know of which units were assigned this grusome task? One I can think of off hand was the 14th Indiana of Kimballs brigade.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Burying the dead at Antietam II

I cannot imagine what is going through those guys heads at that moment.

[markj]

Re: Burying the dead at Antietam II

Contemporary reports indicate that the smell of decaying bodies at places like Sharpsburg and Gettsyburg was almost indescribable. People noted this as being discernable a half mile or more from the battlefield.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[ScottCross]

Frassanito Book

Ryan,

I no longer have a copy of the book, but I believe both images were published and examined in William Fassanito's book on the Antietam Images taken by Brady's crews. If I recall, he found the exact location it was taken.

[FC Barlow]

Re: Burying the dead at Antietam II

Yes, William Frassanito identified this location as being in or near the Cornfield. I think the unique rock outcropping in the center of the photo can still be seen today.

I don't think the other photo that Ryan posted was studied in the Frassanito book.

[C.G. Williams]

Re: Burying the dead at Antietam II

Both images that are being discussed are in Frassinato's book, in fact every photo that was available to Frassinato in 1976 and 1977 are his book about 98% of the Antietam photo's are discussed. I know of one photo that is not his book and that is because the photo surfaced within the passed two years. The photo was titled "Confederate Dead near the West Woods" or something to that effect. It was being sold on E-bay and needless to say it went for an incrediable price tag. Now that photo lays in a private collection for no one to see except for the person who owns it, it really makes me sad. ANYWAY, here is a small write up on what Frassinato descibes about this photo.

Frassinato writes: "Like many views recorded by Alexander Gardner shortly after the battle, this scene was originally identified in vague terms. In fact, Gardner's caption described it simply as "View on Battle-field of Antietam." Although the photograph was otherwise unidentified, I was able to determine the view's precise location by first examining the image itself, which revealed several features dominating the foreground. Protruding from this mound on the left is a distinctive, angular slab of limestone outcropping. Traversing the horizon is an extensive wooded area."