American Civil War Battlefields
Burnside Bridge
Antietam National Battlefield
Sharpsburg, MD

Photo Courtesy of LCWRT Member Paul Fridell

One of the serenest spots today on a Civil War Battlefield, Burnside Bridge built in 1836, was originally known as Lower Bridge or Rohrbach's Bridge.  Sept. 17, 1862, Antietam Creek was the site where Maj. General Ambrose Burnside’s Union Ninth Corps attempted to move forward across the creek, where the difficulties of the terrain and a small but dedicated Confederate force offset Burnside's numerical advantage. It took 3 hours to capture the crossing and another 2 hours to cross and begin the last attack on the Confederate right flank Confederate reinforcements arrived and counter attacked. 

Unions casualties were more than 500 Union troops had been killed or wounded.