The 5th Virginia's Ezra Stickley awakened and realized the firing had picked up considerably. Gathering up his gear...Ezra discovered he’d misplaced the right glove of his newly-purchased pair, a loss that troubled him considerably. Within the hour Ezra would be troubled by a much greater loss...and discover the ultimate irony of Antietam's bloody Cornfield.
John Cook swung his bugle over his shoulder and wrested from the dead man his leather pouch, bearing the undelivered shell without which the cannon was useless. From that moment on, John Cook worked a gun alongside the trained artillerymen to face down the onslaught of Wofford’s attacking Texas Brigade. It was an act that earned John Cook—who had turned fifteen years old barely a month before—the Medal of Honor.
The 5th North Carolina’s Captain Thompson “came up to me in a very excited manner and tone cried out to me “They are flanking us! See, yonder’s a whole brigade!” I ordered him to keep silent and return to his place…but, when this act of indiscretion occurred, they began to break and run…” By … Continue reading Garland’s Brigade at the Cornfield: The Death of a Reputation…and Much More
Now was the moment of truth for Major George Gile and his new command, the 88th Pennsylvania. Instantly Gile’s “stentorian” voice “rang out, “88th. On first division, deploy column, march. Forward, guide centre, halt. Commence, firing!” And with that the 88th Pennsylvania entered the fight for Antietam’s Cornfield... By David A. Welker The 88th Pennsylvania … Continue reading The 88th Pennsylvania at Antietam: A Cornfield Invalid Saves Washington
With the sun glistening off rainwater on the tall, waving cornstalks this clear September morning, David Miller could have no way of knowing that soon his cornfield would become the most dangerous place to be on earth. By David A. Welker Tuesday, September 2nd, 1862 dawned bright and clear on the rolling hills of western … Continue reading Farming the Cornfield: D. R. Miller’s 1862 Harvest of Death
With his brigade locked in a nearly point-blank fight on the southern end of Antietam’s Cornfield, Colonel Douglass had already been wounded seven times but remained in command. Then an eighth Union Minie ball suddenly found him… By David A. Welker Marcellus Douglass was born in Thomaston, Georgia on October 5th, 1820. Little is known … Continue reading Claimed by the Cornfield: Georgia’s Colonel Marcellus Douglass
Amidst a firestorm of Confederate shells, just as his brigade was heading into the hell of Antietam’s Cornfield, Colonel William Christian suddenly muttered “I’ve always had a great fear of shelling.” And with that, he simply vanished… By David A. Welker William Henry Christian was born on April 9th 1825 in Utica, New York. Although … Continue reading Cowards in the Cornfield?: The Sorry Story of Colonel William Christian
Antietam's Cornfield 