Burnside's Bridge is a landmark on the Civil War

Antietam National Battlefield Antietam National Battlefield is a National Park Service-protected area along Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Washington County, northwestern Maryland. It commemorates the American Civil War Battle of Antietam that occurred on September 17, 1862 ...

near Sharpsburg, northwestern

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...

History

Construction

Seeking to improve connections between roads in Washington County, fourteen bridges were commissioned to be constructed. It is one of five bridges designed by master bridge builder John Weaver, its construction was completed in 1836. It was constructed by local Dunker farmers. The three-arched, -wide, -long bridge provided a passageway over Antietam Creek for farmers to take their produce and livestock to market in Sharpsburg. The bridge's three arches are constructed of locally sourced coursed limestone, masonry walls contain the roadbed and has wooden parapets. The original cost of construction was $3200 (now between $73,000 and $84,000.) The bridge has two other names, one is "Rohrbach's Bridge", after a local farmer Henry Rohrbach who lived nearby. The second name, "Lower Bridge" is in reference to the Upper Bridge and Middle Bridge located further upstream that also allowed movement of freight, animals, and people across the creek.

Battle of Antietam

Crossing over

Antietam Creek Antietam Creek () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Potomac River located in south central Pennsylvania and western Maryland in the ...

, the bridge played a key role in the September 1862 Battle of Antietam during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

when around 500 Confederate soldiers from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

under General

Robert Toombs Robert Augustus Toombs (July 2, 1810 – December 15, 1885) was an American politician from Georgia, who was an important figure in the formation of the Confederacy. From a privileged background as a wealthy planter and slaveholder, Toombs ...

and Henry Benning, for several hours held off repeated attempts by elements of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

's IX Army Corps, whose leader was Major General Ambrose E. Burnside, to take the bridge. The first attempt was by Col.

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nanta ...

's Ohio brigade, partially supported by Edward Harland's brigade of Rodman's Division, but the Ohioans got lost and emerged too far upstream. The 11th Connecticut Infantry found the bridge, and engaged the Georgians under Brig. Gen.

. After taking heavy casualties, the 11th Connecticut withdrew in all haste. BurnsideBridge01a

The second try to carry the bridge was by the 2nd Division's 1st Brigade under James Nagle - the 2nd Maryland & the 6th New Hampshire Infantry rushed to the bridge via a nearby farm road but was stopped by the Georgia sharpshooters before getting halfway to the bridge. Toomb's 450 Georgians held off 14,000 Union attackers. Finally, the

51st New York Volunteer Infantry The 51st New York Infantry Regiment (or Shepard Rifles) was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 51st New York Infantry was organized at New York City, New York beginning July 27, 1861 and mustered in ...

and the

51st Pennsylvania Infantry The 51st Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Service The 51st Pennsylvania Infantry was organized in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and mustered in November 16, 1861 for ...

, from Brig. Gen.

Edward Ferrero Edward Ferrero (January 18, 1831 – December 11, 1899) was one of the leading dance instructors, choreographers, and ballroom operators in the United States. He also served as a Union Army general in the American Civil War, being most remembered f ...

's brigade, attacked from the field on the Union side of the creek, stopped briefly at the walls near the bridge to duel with the sharpshooters, and then charged and seized it, but not before the attack had been delayed for several hours beyond what had been expected.

Landmark

Battle of antietam half dollar commemorative reverse

After the war, the U.S. Government acquired the bridge and adjoining land. Vehicular traffic across the bridge was stopped and the original farm lanes allowed to grow over with grass. Foot traffic is still allowed across the structure, at the

. It remains as one of the most photographed bridges of the Civil War. In 1937, the bridge was depicted on the reverse of the Battle of Antietam half dollar.

References

External links

*
1862 Americanart.si.edu: photo
* * {{Maryland in the Civil War Landmarks in Maryland Transportation buildings and structures in Washington County, Maryland Battle of Antietam Bridges completed in 1836 Tourist attractions in Washington County, Maryland Road bridges in Maryland Pedestrian bridges in Maryland Former road bridges in the United States Historic American Buildings Survey in Maryland Historic American Landscapes Survey in Maryland 1836 establishments in Maryland