“By this time, the fighting at the Sunken Road had taken on new violence. Shells from Confederate artillery tore large trenches in the plowed fields, speeding on with an irresistable force until their momentum was spent.”

Antietam Bookshelf

One of the most surprising things that new students of the Battle of Antietam discover is that the first full-length monograph of the Maryland Campaign was not published until the mid-1960s. Perhaps even more amazing is that forty years after it first hit the shelves, the Gleam of Bayonets, the Battle of Antietam and Robert E. Lee's Maryland Campaign, September, 1862, is still considered by many to be the best single-volume account of 'who-shot-who' at the battle.

James V. Murfin's engaging narrative style is certainly a factor in the Gleam of Bayonets' success. But what makes the volume valuable for even serious Antietam scholars is that it is currently the only published work based on the landmark 'Carman Maps'. Ezra A. Carman, a veteran of the battle and it's first historian, produced an indispensable set of troop movement maps and edited them with prodigious input from Union and Confederate veterans alike, but never published the accompanying manuscript.

Due to popular demand, Murfin's book was reprinted in 2004, featuring a new introduction by D, Scott Hartwig. Click here to buy this book.

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Additional Resources

Antietam National Park
Established by Act of Congress on August 30, 1890, this Civil War site marks the end of General Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North in September 1862. Site was recently redesigned with lots of new media.

Chambersburg Civil War Seminars
Ted Alexander, Historian of the battlefield and known for hosting killer seminars, is offering what is being billed as "The Largest Antietam Seminar Ever!" Bearss, Frye, Rafuse, Clemens, Jamieson, Priest...

Antietam on the Web
An independent resource on the Battle featuring all of the Official Reports, a large database of the military units and leading participants, detailed battle maps, and in- depth articles written by site members.

The Battle of Sharpsblog
Keep up on the latest battlefield news. Mannie Gentile and John Hoptak, seasonal Antietam rangers both, have excellent blogs. As well, Brian Downey, creator of Antietem on the Web posts his musings.