Antietam National Cemetery, United States national cemetery in Sharpsburg, Maryland.
Antietam National Cemetery is a burial ground for Union soldiers in Sharpsburg, Maryland, containing about 4,776 graves with nearly 1,900 unidentified remains marked by small square stones. The grounds spread across roughly 12 acres, organized in orderly rows that reflect the scale of those who died.
After the Battle of Antietam in 1862, State Senator Lewis P. Firey pushed to create this cemetery to give fallen soldiers proper burials. The site developed into an organized burial ground as hundreds of soldiers needed respectful resting places.
The Private Soldier Monument erected in 1880 reflects how the cemetery became a place to honor fallen fighters in a formal and permanent way. Walking through the rows of graves, visitors sense the importance this site holds in remembering those who died during the war.
The cemetery grounds are accessible through the Antietam National Battlefield entrance, where you can get maps and find burial records for genealogical work. It is helpful to contact the visitor center ahead of time if you are researching specific individuals or need additional assistance.
African American soldiers from World War I were buried in separate sections at the back of the cemetery, reflecting the social divisions of the era. This physical separation remains visible today and often goes unnoticed by visitors.
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