Place

Irish Brigade Soldiers Antietam National Cemetery

short granite marker with bronze plaque mounted on the top
Marker for the remains of soldiers from the Irish Brigade.

NPS Antietam/ BBaracz

Over 125 years after the Battle of Antietam, four sets of partial remains were found a few hundred yards north of the Sunken Road. Due to the specific type of ammunition, New York State buttons, rosary beads, and a crucifix, park service archeologists made the determination that these were soldiers from the famed Irish Brigade.  
During the fighting at the Sunken Road, U.S. soldiers attacked again and again against the Confederate defenders positioned in the road. The fourth Federal advance was made by troops from the famed Irish Brigade, which was made up of hundreds of Irish immigrants. In not more that 60 minutes of combat, the brigade lost over 500 men killed or wounded out of more than 1200 taken into battle. 
Nearly all those killed at Antietam were buried on the field where they fell and were later reburied in this cemetery or other local cemeteries in the area. Unfortunately, not all were found and there a certainly still soldier remains throughout the battlefield.  
The text reads:
HERE LIE THE PARTIAL REMAINS OF FOUR UNKNOWN UNION SOLDIERS OF THE IRISH BRICADE KILLED September 17, 1862, DURING THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM, WHILE ASSAULTING THE CONFEDERATE POSITIONS IN "BLOODY LANE." AFTER THE WAR, PORTIONS OF THEIR BODIES WERE REMOVED AND INTERRED IN THIS NATIONAL CEMETERY THESE ADDITIONAL REMAINS WERE DISCOVERED WITHIN THE BATTLEFIELD IN 1988 AND REINTERRED SEPTEMBER 17, 1989.

Last updated: August 22, 2024