Antietam Eve: The Night of September 16, 1862

   "The quiet that precedes a battle has something of the terrible in it," wrote an Ohio soldier recalling the night of September 16, 1862.

The Antietam sunrise on September 17, 2012.

   That night in the fields and woodlots surrounding Sharpsburg was an awful night for those who experienced it. The soldiers on the front lines suffered from a drizzling of rain. Occasional musketry volleys and random shots punctuated the soothing sounds of the water falling through the tree canopies. Those farther back from the scene of the impending action felt an eeriness in the air. But all on that battlefield knew what the next day would bring--tenacious conflict. Each soldier reflected on what tomorrow could bring. For the Confederacy, one more victory might bring its independence. For the United States, one more loss could spell the end of its nationhood.