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Few names are as synonymous with Civil War battlefields as The Bloody Cornfield. It conjures up visions of harrowing bloodshed and the tragedy of fratricidal combat…
Yet, for over 150 years, the story of this struggle has been difficult to track – the sway of battle back and forth over David R. Miller’s cornfield was a confusing melee of destruction. To help interpret this pivotal story, historian and author David A. Welker has produced a detailed study of this pivotal moment in American history which captures the reader and makes the compelling case for the national significance of these 20+ acres of Maryland soil.
On this week’s PreserveCast, we’re taking a trip back to Sharpsburg, Maryland, on the morning of September 17, 1862, and descending into the Bloody Cornfield.
Antietam's Cornfield 
My wife’s ancestor Sgt. James H. Gaster, Company H, 107th Pennsylvania Infantry was mortally wounded in Miller’s cornfield at Antietam on September 17, 1862 and died the following February 6, 1863. He mustered into the regiment on January 9, 1862 for three years. They were part of Duryees’ Brigade and went in right alongside of the Iron Brigade. They lost the bulk of their casualties fighting against Lawtons brigade. Lawton’s Brigade of Georgian’s rose up in the cornfield and fired en mass into Duryees’ brigade which included the 107th PA. My Great Grandfather was there too – Charles Prather, Company D, 12th Virginia Cavalry!
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