Sharpsburg Trip Overview
Explore and understand the Antietam Battlefield with this self-guided driving tour. See where Union and Confederate lines clashed, over and over, in a desperate struggle to maintain control. Feel the poignancy of the sacrifices made on the single bloodiest day in American history during the Civil War.
Recommended: Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!
Here’s how it works: Within 30 mins, we’ll send you two things: a unique password and an app. Download the app onto your phone and enter the password. Then download the tour inside. When you arrive, go to the Visitor Center to start the tour. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
THIS ISN’T AN ENTRANCE TICKET. CHECK COVID RULES AND OPENING HOURS BEFORE YOUR VISIT.
NO EXPIRATION — THE TOUR IS AVAILABLE FROM THE MINUTE YOU BOOK UNTIL FOREVER!
Additional Info
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Starts: Sharpsburg, United States
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
Explore Sharpsburg Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting Sharpsburg, Maryland, United States
Explore and understand the Antietam Battlefield with this self-guided driving tour. See where Union and Confederate lines clashed, over and over, in a desperate struggle to maintain control. Feel the poignancy of the sacrifices made on the single bloodiest day in American history during the Civil War.
Recommended: Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!
Here’s how it works: Within 30 mins, we’ll send you two things: a unique password and an app. Download the app onto your phone and enter the password. Then download the tour inside. When you arrive, go to the Visitor Center to start the tour. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience.
THIS ISN’T AN ENTRANCE TICKET. CHECK COVID RULES AND OPENING HOURS BEFORE YOUR VISIT.
NO EXPIRATION — THE TOUR IS AVAILABLE FROM THE MINUTE YOU BOOK UNTIL FOREVER!
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Antietam National Battlefield, 5831 Dunker Church Rd., Sharpsburg, MD 21782
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.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Mansfield Monument, 6118 Smoketown Rd, Keedysville, MD 21756, USA
Our drive then brings us to a monument dedicated to Major General Joseph Mansfield. Just as the battle is beginning, Mansfield leaves his untrained battalion to scout the cornfield and ascertain the situation. When he comes back, he’s slumped over his horse, having suffered a mortal chest wound. His soldiers, already spooked by the fighting, are aghast. How can they hope to survive without their commander?
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: West Woods Trail, W Woods Trail, Maryland 21782, USA
Our next stop is the West Woods. By now, the Union has a clear upper hand, but the battle is far from over. 5,000 Union soldiers charge into this forest, hoping to repeat the easy victory their comrades found in the East Woods. But Confederate cannons are waiting atop a nearby ridge. The guns rain hellfire on the Union, turning a siple advance into a desperate, life or death struggle.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Mumma Farm and Cemetery, 5923 Mumma Ln, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
Keep driving until you see the Mumma farmstead. As Confederate troops retreat past this point, they light the place on fire so the Union can’t use it for cover. The Mumma family had already fled, but they’ll come home later to find nothing but ashes.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Irish Brigade Monument, Keedysville, MD 21756, USA
Next, we’ll arrive at the Irish Brigade monument, which honors the Irish Americans who fought at the Bloody Lane. Many of them made the ultimate sacrifice for their country right here. Then, we’ll hear about the importance of this battle, and how everything hinges on a Union victory.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Piper Farm, 5537 Sharpsburg Pike, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
Continue driving until you reach Piper Farm. While the fighting rages across the battlefield, Confederate generals use this farm as their headquarters, planning each attack, each defensive line, looking for a way to emerge victorious.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Burnside’s Bridge (Lower Bridge), 18125 Old Burnside Bridge Rd, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
Our drive takes us next to Burnside Bridge, where another wildly unbalanced struggle is taking place. 13,000 Union soldiers try to take the bridge while a mere 500 Confederates try to hold them back. But the Union men are sitting ducks trying to cross the bridge. Bodies pile up on the bridge as the Confederates mount a fierce defense.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Monument to William McKinley – Antietam, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
Next, we’ll arrive at the McKinley Monument, which honors the future 25th President of the United States, and recalls a story of the boy’s odd brand of heroism following the brutal struggle on the bridge.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Burnside Bridge, Union Advance Trail, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
Fun fact! Sideburns are named after General Burnside. Once you look at his portrait, there’s really no need to guess why!
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Final Attack Trail, Maryland 21782, USA
Next, we’ll arrive near the site from which the Union forces assemble and launch their final attack against the Confederate lines, which by now have been forced to fall back repeatedly. We will watch the tumult of battle and gunfire, hear the beating of drums and the war cries, and, finally, see what is left after the dust clears.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Hawkins’ Zouaves Monument, Harpers Ferry Rd, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
This optional detour takes us to a monument honoring the 9th New York Infantry, who almost broke through the final Confederate line in an attack which could have changed the rest of the war–but didn’t quite succeed.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Tolson’s Chapel and School, 111 E High St, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
Another detour takes us to Tolson Chapel, built by Black Americans just one year after the war ended.
Duration: 5 minutes
Stop At: Piper House, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
Our next optional stop is Piper House, one of Sharpsburg’s oldest houses. It gives us a glimpse into what the town was like even before the Civil War put it on the map.
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Mount Calvary Lutheran Cemetery, 200-208 MD-34, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
This detour brings us to the Mount Calvary Lutheran Cemetery, which dates all the way back to 1768. During the battle, Confederates used the now-demolished church next to this cemetery to send orders and information to troops across the battlefield. And afterward, the Union used the same church as a field hospital!
Duration: 10 minutes
Stop At: Antietam National Cemetery, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA
The final optional stop is the Antietam National Cemetery, where the remains of 4,776 Union soldiers rest alongside about 200 dead from the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, and the Korean War.
Duration: 10 minutes