Existing comment:
Artillery Hell
6:00am - 10:00am
There were over 500 cannons at Antietam. The intensity of the artillery fire led Colonel Stephen D. Lee, commander of the Confederate cannons shown here, to describe the battle as "Artillery Hell." Lee's guns were instrumental in helping the Confederates hold this vital ground. This painting depicts the earliest part of the battle. The artist's perspective is close to the present-day location of the Visitor Center.
This painting, like the others, does not represent a moment in time or one event, but a series of events. For example, when the Union infantry on the right side of this painting advanced, the Confederate artillery on the left had already withdrawn. |