antietam

anyone who knows me is well aware that i am a big civil war fan.

i have always been generally interested, but living in the old capitol of the confederacy has sparked a new active interest over the past few years. i've picked up numerous books on the topic and found myself going to more museums and battlefields. i have even made a habit of stopping at those roadside historical markers that are all over virginia's countryside.

one of the highlights of my trip to albany and nyc was the decision to bring along one of the audiobooks that peter loaned me during my recovery. he had loaned me two books, one was about the assassination of lincoln and the ensuing manhunt and the other was about the battle of antietam. i never got around to listening to the antietam book until very recently. i decided that listening to this book would help pass the long hours on the road on my trip.

well, i gotta say. this book is LONG. i listened to it for several hours, burning through 6 of the 13 discs and the battle of antietam had yet to even START. well, since long hours on the road are hard to come by, i decided that i would listen in little bursts during my morning and evening commute to work and back. the battle has just started and it's literally all i can do not to sneak out to my car and listen to more of the book. i took my lunch break out in my car, closed my eyes and listened to a good 30 minutes.

it's a captivating book and when you let yourself get sucked into the story, it's surprising who you find yourself rooting for. obviously, i can't reconcile my personal beliefs with the confederate cause.. but i found myself surprised to be excited when the confederates made a particularly daring move.

it's hard not to get wrapped up in what an amazing general robert e. lee was. the man was a bold strategic genius.. and his other generals were equally cunning. his opponent on the union side, general george mcclellan was a cautious nervous idiot. so, causes aside, it's weird to find yourself cheering for the superior smarter general and then realizing quickly that you're cheering for the confederacy.

anyway, this whole thing has me wanting to drive up on a weekend this fall to go visit antietam. i'm thinking the trip could double as a great opportunity to see some fall colors. if there are any civil war fans who are down with such a trip, be sure to holler.