Antietam National Battlefield - Antietam Monuments (U.S. National Park Service)

"There are no better teachers for those who come after us than the silent monuments on the battlefields, marking the places where men died for a principle they believed right, whether they wore the blue or the gray uniform."
Major Wells Sponable, 34th New York Monument dedication

Primarily built by veterans of the battle and states to commemorate their sacrifices here, the monuments are typically located where the troops fought during the battle. There are ninety-six monuments at Antietam, the majority of which are Union. After the war, the former Confederacy was so devastated it was difficult for the veterans to raise the needed money to build monuments.

There are regimental monuments, state monuments and monuments to individuals. At Antietam, there were six generals killed or mortally wounded. The location of where these generals fell is marked by a mortuary cannon, an inverted cannon barrel in a block of stone. There is even a monument to war correspondents. Our monument pages also include monuments located on South Mountain at Fox's Gap and Crampton's Gap.

You can be part of our efforts to maintain the monuments. The park has an Adopt-a-Monument program where you can contribute to help preserve these tangible reminders of sacrifice.

Go to .pdf version of the Monument Map