Service at Antietam National Battlefield, Maryland

The Trip

Antietam National Battlefield has many historic structures that were involved in the September 17, 1862 battle. The work of maintaining and restoring old buildings and the grounds will continue to be the focus of our work this year and in years to come. 

The week, however, will not be all work and no play. We will be housed in rustic motel-like rooms at a retreat center, which is located just 1.5 hours west of Washington, D.C. and approximately 15 minutes from the battlefield. The center is situated on 220 acres of rolling, wooded land along the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal Towpath, which follows the winding Potomac River. 

Antietam National Battlefield commemorates the bloodiest single-day battle of the Civil War, fought on these 12 square miles on September 17, 1862. During that one day, more than 23,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing, with neither side able to declare a decisive victory. This battlefield will be our work site.

Less than 10 miles south of Antietam is Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Probably best known from our history classes is the story of abolitionist John Brown's raid on the United States Armory and Arsenal in October 1859. His attempt to arm an uprising of enslaved people ended with his capture and conviction for "conspiring with slaves to commit treason and murder." Despite Brown's failure, his trial and execution served to focus the nation's attention on the moral issue of slavery and led the country to Civil War. Participants may want to visit this very interesting park either before or after the outing, or in the afternoon of our free day.

The Project

As with all of our national parks, refuges, and forests, the Antietam National Battlefield is in need of more work to maintain its grounds and structures than park staff alone could ever complete. Over the years, trips have focused on restoration work, for example: building and repairing fences and gates, constructing a workshop in the corn crib at the Poffenberger Farm, cleaning and painting historic buildings, whitewashing structures, working to restore a 1700s log cabin, cleaning and sealing the wood coping on the Burnside Bridge, removing mold from the cemetery fence and headstones, and painting cannons.

We will work with the Battlefield staff. Not only are they trying to maintain the historic structures at Antietam, they are also trying to restore the landscape to better reflect the way it would have appeared at the time of the battle. The staff will determine their greatest needs; as volunteers we’re willing and able to do what is necessary. However, based on recent experience, it is likely that we’ll be involved in landscape restoration activities (such as building, repairing, or painting fences, removing invasive plants, and planting historic species), whitewashing the exterior of historic buildings, and painting as needed at Antietam.

Day 1: We will gather at 3 p.m. at the retreat center and settle into our rooms, and at 4 p.m. we’ll have introductions and our orientation before dinner. We will explain our schedule and the possibilities of after-work and day-off activities. After dinner, we will get to know each other better as we look forward to our first day of work at Antietam. 

Day 2: We'll start with breakfast in the cafeteria at 7:30 a.m. Because we’re in a cafeteria setting, all we need to do after eating is bus our own tables. Lunch will be ready, packed for us by center staff. The Park Service will expect to see us around 8:30 a.m. We will caravan to the battlefield, a short distance away. Work for the day will end not later than 3:00 p.m., followed by free time to relax in Sharpsburg or back at the center until dinner at 6:00 p.m. The leaders will invite two Civil War re-enactors to visit us after dinner; dressed in authentic Federal and Confederate battle gear, which they will explain as well as what their days as enlisted men were like during the war. 

Day 3: We will follow the same routine as on day two. For those who are in need of a little after-work snack, there will be an optional stop at an ice cream store in Sharpsburg -- great ice cream at inexpensive prices. This evening one of our leaders, Bill, will read poems by several contemporary poets and from Walt Whitman’s Drum Taps, vivid and moving poems about the impact of the Civil War on ordinary soldiers and their families.

Day 4: This is our day to experience Antietam as visitors rather than workers. After breakfast, we will head to the Battlefield for a half-day tour by a professional guide who will help us understand how the battle unfolded as we explore the grounds. After lunch, we’ll have time on our own to explore the region. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. followed by our conservation conversation, during which all of us will discuss environmental issues in our home areas, positive changes we’ve observed, as well as protests we’ve supported. 

Day 5: Another workday, following the same routine as on days 2 and 3. In the evening, local musicians present a weekly free session of traditional mountain music in a general store in nearby Shepherdstown, WV, which participants may choose to attend. 

Day 6: We'll continue with more work, with the same schedule as above. After dinner we will have a final gathering campfire.

Day 7: At breakfast, we'll say goodbye, then depart for home.

Getting There

If flying: Baltimore Washington International Airport (BWI) and Dulles International Airport (IAD) are each about 1.5 hours from the center where we’ll be housed. BWI may have less traffic congestion than Washington, D.C., and Dulles may have more flights. We will send you a roster of trip participants before the trip so you may be able to coordinate with others to share a rental car. It is your responsibility to get to the center. Do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip co-leaders. 

Accommodations and Food

The Center has a main building that houses administration offices, meeting rooms, and a cafeteria. We will be housed in motel-like rooms in the main building and have our evening activities there. A short trail on the campus goes to the C&O Canal Towpath on the Potomac River. Meals are nutritious and served cafeteria-style and include a salad bar. Vegetarian options are available at every meal.

Trip Difficulty

Antietam National Battlefield is located a short distance (driving, not walking) from the retreat center. The land on the battlefield is quite level so we don't have to worry about altitude gain. The work should be only moderately strenuous. However, everyone will be encouraged to work to the level of her or his ability and endurance, and to drink water and/or take shade breaks if necessary. The trip leaders’ primary concern is for the group to work safely, have fun doing it, and lastly, accomplish work for Antietam.

Equipment and Clothing

We will be housed in motel-like rooms in the main building, so there is no need to bring a sleeping bag or bed sheets and blanket, but bring your own pillow if you prefer. Work clothes may get stained, torn, or paint-splattered. Thrift stores are good places to get work clothes that you don’t need to worry about. After-work and/or day-off clothes can be anything in which you are comfortable. You will need a simple daypack for carrying your lunch, water, hat, sunscreen, insect repellant, personal first-aid kit, camera, and whatever else you need for the day. We will send you a complete equipment list closer to the time of the trip.

References

The leader encourages you to check out the following:

• Antietam National Battlefield: https://www.nps.gov/anti/index.htm
• Hoptak, John David, Antietam: The Battle of September 17, 1862.
• Walker, Keven M. and K.C. Kirkman, Antietam Farmsteads: A Guide to the Battlefield Landscape. 
• Frassanito, William A., Antietam: The Photographic Legacy of America’s Bloodiest Day.
• Chesapeake and Ohio Canal: https://www.nps.gov/choh/index.htm
• Glatthaar, Joseph, The Civil War’s Black Soldiers. National Park Civil Series.
• McPherson, James M., Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam.
  
• Harpers Ferry: https://www.nps.gov/hafe/index.htm
• National Park Service, Maryland: https://www.nps.gov/state/md/index.htm
• National Parks Conservation Association: https://www.npca.org
• The National Museum of Civil War Medicine: http://www.civilwarmed.org
• Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation: http://www.shenandoahatwar.org

Conservation

Your volunteer leaders have a long-term dedication to the Sierra Club mission – “to explore, enjoy and protect the wild places of the earth." They hope to impart to you some of their love for this mission. They believe that the Sierra Club's outings program provides an excellent opportunity for members to enjoy the fruits of past conservation victories and to learn about current concerns. While on this trip, they invite you to share the local conservation issues from your area. If appropriate at the time, a local Sierra Club leader may present a program on a local conservation issue, a presentation that includes hopeful ways we can affect change.

One evening we will have a conservation conversation, which will include strategies to preserve our nation's public lands. Our purpose is to encourage you to consider urging your elected representatives to support public land protection and conservation issues. In this conversation we encourage you to share environmental/conservation issues and stories from your area. Before the trip we will send out a list of possible topics. 

Since any traveling leaves a carbon footprint, check out the information that the Sierra Club offers about carbon offsets at: http://www.sierraclub.org/outings/national/offsets/#neutral 

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.