At night after the battle draft 1

campfires burn tonight
It is our stories that are glowing'
They warm us without flames
songs of home and glory
Silence is our blanket
Pull it slowly over you
Rest my brothers
Rest your heads
The next days battle is just an early morning time away

As the silent sentry watches over us
Rest my brothers
REst your heads
 And wait for early morning

In the wilderness of virginia
The fires burn in the daytime

Antietam beginnings

Of all the battles that I've read about over the past months, this immediately grabbed my imagination more than any others even Gettysburg. I put effort into writing a song culled from as much information as I could find. This date, Sept 14 has been set aside for months; And today I wake up early to take my first solo trip after a long night returning from Baltimore for the Star Spangled festival.


Antietam is a battlefield that should be done in 2 days there is so much to see and do. Though a one day battle, so much happened here over a large area, that to just hike the trails and hear the guide takes up the whole day.

Arriving at the visitor center, I am directed to the observation room, which is framed by windows on 3 sides, providing a view of the surrounding mountains, the cornfields and woods that are the sites of the tragic events that occurred 152 years ago.

I begin to cry at the beauty, the tragedy, the quiet, the anticipation of the day.