Existing comment:
Bridge of Destiny
"I do not know the name of the creek, but I have named it the creek of death. Such a slaughter I hope never to witness again."
Pvt. George Lewis Bronson, 11th Connecticut Infantry
A Divided Nation - A Divided Family
Union Col. Henry W. Kingsbury (left) and Confederate Gen. David R. Jones (right) married sisters Eva and Rebecca Taylor. At Antietam, Col. Kingsbury, described as a "brilliant, honorable and brave soldier," commanded the 11th Connecticut Infantry that made the first attack on Burnside Bridge. Gen. Jones was nicknamed "Neighbor" Jones for his friendly, outgoing personality. Gen. Jones and the soldiers of his division defended the bridge.
While leading his men, Col. Kingsbury was wounded four times, "suffered great pain during the dressing of his wounds, and survived but twenty-four hours." For months later, Jones, whose soldiers had killed his brother-in-law, died of a heart attack at age thirty seven.
Bodies of the men who died attacking the bridge were initially buried along this wall until they were later reinterred. Many of the headstones were simply planks ripped from the Burnside Bridge. |