Gallery (graphic, NSFW)

I had no idea there were photographic records of Antietam. I was familiar (desensitized?) with most of the other photos, so that one rocked me back the hardest. Wow.

Yeah, these are really hard to look at.

When I was in ninth grade or so, I saw a picture of a WWI soldier shooting a woman with a child clinging to her knees. Horrible, horrible stuff.

Thanks for the link seems inappropriate, but thanks.

On the day of peace some people might need to be reminded of why we need it.

Oh an specklet, that sounds like a truly horrible pictire. :(

When I was a kid my mom and dad took my brother and me to the local Civil War sites -- Antietam, Gettysburg, Manassass, Harper's Ferry, a bunch more -- and we would run around where Pickett charged, or have a picnic at Burnside Bridge.

I saw the picture of the dead confederate sniper at Devil's Den (said to be staged) and went there and had a ball slumping myself on the rocks with a stick propped up just so.

When I saw the picture of Bloody Lane, I got the notion into my head that those men were buried where they lay.

Ever since, the Civil War has felt very close to home.

So after we went to the battlefields, we would set up a big map tactical board game with all these little colored tiles, and we would play out the battle, which I was never good at, but found diverting.

We also saw Shakespeare performed at the Folger Library in DC, and we'd read Charles and Mary Lamb beforehand just to make sure I knew what was up.

Those last two things always come to mind together. Similar, I guess.