My anticipated trip to Antietam

I decided last week that it was time to take another trip down to Antietam. The day that I had decided to go was a horrible day for it.....it had rained for about a week straight....and I figured that I should put off my trip for a few days. So, after checking the weather and my work schedule, I decided to go on Tuesday May 12, 2009. Its supposed to be sunny and in the high 60's. Perfect weather for a battlefield stomp.

In anticipation for my trip (hmmm....its only an hour from here, so is it considered a "trip"???) I started going through my books and on the internet, looking for maps and information on the Battle of Antietam. There are three things that I am most interested in finding information on:
1) Winfield Scott Hancock. Hancock is my hero of the Civil War....as such, I look for all things Hancock. I know that he was at Antietam. He fought at the Sunken Road. But I need to know more.
2) 98th Pennsylvania. My great great grandfather fought in the 98th PA and I like to find the areas in which he fought battles. However, I don't think I'm going to find out too much about him at Antietam - he was with Darius Couch, who seemed to have gotten lost and just moved his men back and forth through Pleasant Valley. I need to find out more about this.
3) 6th Wisconsin. For some reason, I have become obsessed with the 6th WI and Rufus Dawes. He has written a wonderful book (Service with the 6th Wisconsin) that details so much of his life throughout the Civil War. This is a book that I HIGHLY recommend to anyone with a passing interest in the life of a Civil War soldier. I know that they fought in Miller's Cornfield, where some of the most intense fighting took place. One of my goals for this trip is to locate more of the areas where the 6th Wisconsin fought.

I'm looking forward to my trip to Antietam. Today, I will go over all my maps....making copies and putting them together in a folder so that when I arrive tomorrow everything will be ready to go. I need to get more batteries for my camera and then will log my trip in pictures. I know that there are walking tours of the Cornfield and the Sunken Road and plan to do both of those. Plus there are quite a few other paths that can be taken. Depending on how much time I have, I will do as many as I possibly can. I've never been to Antietam in the spring and am looking forward to seeing what it looks like at this time of year.

While I'm down in the Sharpsburg area, I also plan to hit the Crampton's Gap and Turner's Gap areas. I've never gone looking for them or even know what might be marked and what might not be marked, but I will go looking. This should be an exciting trip!