Antietam National Battlefield: Union Advance Trail (Blog Hike #306)

Trail: Union Advance Trail

Hike Location: Antietam National Battlefield

Geographic Location: Sharpsburg, MD (39.44956, -77.73252)

Length: 1.1 miles

Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)

Dates Hiked: May 2010, July 2013

Overview: An historical hike featuring the famous Burnside Bridge.

Battlefield Information: http://www.nps.gov/anti/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=722598
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: In west-central Maryland, take I-70 to SR 65 (exit 29).  Exit and go south on SR 65.  Take SR 65 10 miles to the signed park entrance on the left.  Turn left to enter the park.  Stop in the Visitor Center, pay the entrance fee, and begin the Tour Road.  The hike begins at stop #9 on the Tour Road.

The hike: September 17, 1862: the bloodiest day of the American Civil War.  The site was Sharpsburg, MD, a small farm town just 4 miles from the Virginia border.  In an attempt to win a meaningful battle on Union soil, earlier that month General Robert Lee had divided his already outnumbered Confederate troops into two parts.  He sent one part to Harpers Ferry, VA to capture the Union garrison stationed there; this would give Lee supply and communication lines back into Virginia.  The other part he sent north into Maryland.

On September 13, a Union soldier found a copy of Lee’s orders, which was promptly forwarded to Union General George McClellan.  Realizing he had the advantage, he chose to attack Lee’s forces while they were divided.  On September 14, McClellan marched his army west and fought his way over South Mountain east of Sharpsburg.  Lee almost chose to retreat to Virginia, but instead chose to make a stand at Antietam Creek just east of Sharpsburg.  The area made an ideal defensive location because it featured high ground with clear lines to shoot in any direction.

The battle that ensued was long and bloody.  Early action took place in East and West Woods as well as a cornfield.  The fighting in the cornfield was so intense it is now referred to simply as The Cornfield.  Later assaults came along Sunken Road (later renamed Bloody Lane for the number of casualties taken there) and the Lower Bridge across Antietam Creek.  The Lower Bridge would later be renamed the Burnside Bridge after Union General Ambrose Burnside who took control of the bridge, and that bridge would later become the iconic image of Antietam.

Both sides took heavy casualties in the battle, but the outnumbered Confederates would be forced to retreat into Virginia.  The Union army took so many casualties that it was unable to pursue Lee and perhaps end the Civil War.  Another two and one-half years of fighting and major battles such as Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chancellorsville would lie ahead before the Confederacy would finally surrender.

Today, the fields outside of Sharpsburg are preserved as Antietam National Battlefield.  The Visitor Center features a short documentary film, some ranger talks, and an observation lounge from which much of the battlefield can be seen.  A park driving tour and many short hiking trails take you past all of the major battlefield sites including the The Cornfield and Burnside Bridge.  In fact, the park tickets sold today bear the Burnside Bridge’s image.  On the mid-May morning when I visited Antietam, a light steady rain was falling, making hiking much less pleasant than usual.  To be honest, I chose to hike the Union Advance Trail described here partly because it features the famous Burnside Bridge but mainly because it is the shortest trail in the park.

View of Burnside Bridge from tour road stop #9

              The trail starts at stop #9 on the driving tour.  Begin on the left (east) side of the circular-shaped parking area.  An overlook here with interpretive signs gives a great view down at the Burnside Bridge some 50 feet below.  At this overlook, you are standing where the Confederate soldiers would have stood as they tried to prevent their Union counterparts from crossing the bridge.  With such clear sightlines and high relief, you can see why so many Union casualties were taken in their attempts to secure the bridge.

Paved trail from overlook

            Exit the overlook on the paved trail which heads gently downhill and crosses a small stream.  At the intersection after crossing the stream, turn left to continue descending more steeply to arrive at the west side of the bridge.  Turn right and cross the stone bridge.  Notice the wooden slats on the side of the bridge.  Most of these slats are not original: many of the original ones were used as grave-markers by Union soldiers to honor their fallen comrades.           

Crossing the Burnside Bridge

Burnside Bridge

            On the east side of the bridge, the Union Advance Trail goes left and right.  To hike the trail in the same order as described in the downloadable podcast, you should turn left here and use the right trail as the return route.  Stops on the podcast tour are marked with tall, beige, plastic posts.

The trail starts on a gravel trailbed, but that soon turns to mown grass.  The grass was not particularly tall on my visit, but it was tall enough and wet enough that my shoes and socks were soon dripping wet.  At 0.4 miles, the Sherrick Farm Trail exits to the left as our trail turns right and ascends moderately for a brief time, soon to top out just below the ridgeline.

Hiking the Union Advance Trail

            Most of this trail passes through open grassy areas, but a few short sections on this ridge dip into some young forest.  At 0.7 miles, you arrive at an opening in the forest which gives a great view of the bridge from the east side.  Now you are standing where the Union soldiers would have stood as they prepared to rush the bridge.  Think of how intimidating this view must have been with the Confederates dug into the steep hillside across the creek.

Past the opening the trail curves right and descends moderately to arrive back at creek level, passing a small memorial in the process.  Upon reaching the creek, the trail curves right and passes a USGS station used for monitoring water flow.  At 1 mile, you arrive back at the east side of the Burnside Bridge to close the loop.  Cross the bridge and retrace your steps back uphill to the parking lot to complete the hike.