32nd Annual
Antietam National Battlefield
Memorial Illumination December 4, 2021 Sharpsburg, Maryland
When the soldiers of two American armies converged on the peaceful village of Sharpsburg, they transformed the once tranquil farms that surrounded the town into horrific fields of combat. This community would never be the same. Five days after the guns fell silent, President Abraham Lincoln redefined the meaning of the war when he announced the Emancipation Proclamation. No longer was this conflict being waged solely to reunite a divided country, now this war would also be fought to abolish slavery.
As the years passed, the site of the Civil War’s bloodiest single-day battle evolved into a place of reflection and national remembrance. Though the scars of war have faded from the landscape, Antietam National Battlefield remains hallowed ground. It is a place where America forever changed—a place to ponder the meaning of sacrifice and freedom.
We light these candles tonight to honor the over 23,000 soldiers of the Blue and the Gray who where killed, wounded, or reported missing on September 17, 1862.
The National Park Service thanks all of the volunteers and organizations that make the Memorial Illumination possible. National Park Service volunteers contribute thousands of hours to the event, including luminary construction, placement, and lighting.
