The Civil War Storyteller

After DC we went to Shepherdstown. This is a weird little town in West Virginia. We did this because it was close to Antietam where a huge and bloody civilwar battle was faught. Also, the guidebook told us it was a special and nice little place. We drove back and forth in the town for a frustratingly long time before we found a place to stay, but when that was done, we went to Antietam. As it happened we were extremely lucky to arive just ten minutes before a guided tour would start. So we took off on a guided battlefield tour with our ranger-like guide; John.

Now John knew just about everything about the civil war. And as he told us the details of the horrendous events of each location. How the different segments under the army moved across which field and under which commander... and when John told about battles you could smell the blood. You could see the young men breaking through the edges of the head-high cornfield to be slaughtered down by the waiting enemy regiment. The battle in Antienam went on for just one day, but it was the single most bloody day in american history. 23000 men were killed. It was a fantastic story to be told in the actual battle locations. And John made it come completely alive.