FRIDAY'S FOTO

This peaceful farmhouse nestled near the Antietam Creek
in Sharpsburg, Maryland, saw the bloodiest single day in
American history, the Battle of Antietam, the first battle
of the Civil War to be fought on northern soil
Visit the battlefield.
Study our history and learn from it.  You can take a tour
and see the monument to Clara Barton, the "angel of the
battlefield."
A woman well ahead of her times, she said,"I may sometimes be willing to teach for nothing, but if paid at all, I shall never do a man's work for less than a man's pay."

ANTIETAM--A CHAPTER IN AMERICAN HISTORY

Drive from I-81 to Sharpsburg, Maryland and enter the quiet pastoral beauty along the Antietam Creek. There, on Sept. 17, 1862 beauty became a carnivorous beast, and within a few hours, 23,000 boys lay scattered against and atop one another, packed so thickly that avoiding stepping on them was a challenge. The South called this the battle of Sharpsburg, but for most of us it is known as Antietam. The battle was a draw, and those who lived were to fight each other again.

The Antietam Battlefield is part of America’s hallowed ground. The National Park Service maintains it and instructs visitors about the sacrifices made here as each side fought to preserve its ideology. The Visitor Center is an educational mecca where we first listen to U.S. Forest Service Ranger Gentile’s interpretative lecture.

As is Rob and my experience at other National Parks, the Ranger presentation is enthusiastic, artfully presented, and full of details that spark our imaginations. As he points through the walls of glass in the presentation room, the rolling hills and fields are suddenly peopled with soldiers, drummers, and standard bearers advancing. As he speaks we begin to understand the mental processes of Generals Lee and McClellan as well as the challenges that caused the best made plans to go astray.

After the Ranger presentation, we watch a video about the battle, and it adds information to our growing understanding. Through the video we gain more perspective in terms of area and strategy. The Visitor Center also includes a museum, and there we see artifacts of the men who participated in the battle. We see a photograph of young Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. who fought here long before he became a Supreme Court Justice. Additionally, we learn about the medical help available at the time. Knowledge of sanitation was still decades away, and more men died of infection than of the wounds themselves. Injuries to the head, chest or stomach area meant almost certain death. Injuries to the limbs meant amputation. Many of the doctors who participated in the war on either side had never done amputations before, and the numbers were so horrific that the word "sawbones" was coined, and often outside the medical units were limbs heaped in alarming piles.

Each new fact reinforces what we already know--war is horrible, and the destruction of lives is inevitable. The ground drenched in the blood of soldiers is hallowed ground.

We bought a cd driving tour of the battlefield. Following its path, we gain additional perspective. Imagine standing at the edge of a 30 acre cornfield with the corn stalks still standing. The soldiers begin the battle marching between the rows. At the end of the battle several hours later, exploding shells, bullets and men have totally destroyed the cornfield. Standing at the end of the field, now returned to its natural state peaceful and serene, I am reminded once again of the horror of that day. It is at once moving and terrifying.

As we follow this tour, we see monuments dedicated to the different participants--very often erected by the states that sent them to battle. We view a monument to Clara Barton who began her great work here--a Massachusetts volunteer who delivered supplies to the soldiers and who nursed them. The monument to her includes a Red Cross, symbol of the organization she founded. Another positive result was the development of an ambulance system to evacuate the wounded more efficiently. Between Antietam and the Battle of Fredericksburg a mere ten months later, the time taken to remove the wounded was cut down by DAYS. It took almost a week to separate the wounded lying among the dead at Antietam.

Let yourself flow with the story, and the history and the horror of this battle comes alive. These were 23,000 Americans killed in only hours. More than one hundred years of historical analysis suggests that the outcome of the war was really solidified at this battle. Lee had hoped to advance into Maryland, a Union state, to show the Confederate strength and to play upon the war-weariness of the North. He had hoped his victory would convince both England and France to recognize the South's independence and to enter in some manner on the Confederate side. Although he eventually fought at Gettysburg, Lee never had another real opportunity to win in the North, and he never won the European countries primarily because of the South’s stand on slavery. Of course he couldn't foretell the years and bloodshed still to come, but to me, standing in this place, the waste and sacrifice is illuminated.

Some might not call this a "vacation," but visiting the places where American history was made has always been moving and enlightening experiences. Carol, Rob, and I spent about four hours at Antietam, and we still did not get a chance to see everything. I highly recommend this visit, and I guarantee you will come away a more enlightened individual.

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WOODY'S - SINCE I KEEP COMPARING CRAB CAKES

This review of Woody's in North East, Maryland originally appeared in Third Age Traveler in October, 2005. Rob and I have returned several times since then, and the legend continues! So if you're driving I-95 in Maryland, Woody's is a great place to stop.

Native Marylanders will be the first to tell you that the only place to get the best crab cake is in their state. So if the thought of crab cakes makes you salivate, then you’ve got to hop off Route 95 at exit 100 and drive to a tiny town along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland named North East. Find your way to Woody’s right there on the main street, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. A year ago we stumbled upon Woody’s during a foray to Patriotic Fireworks, a factory way way back in the woods and reached by traveling over a dirt rood where the signs nailed to the trees announce “Fireworks. NO SMOKING.” But we’ll leave that story for another time. Woody’s is enough reason to go to North East.

Woody’s is a grand place. Enter and to the right is a capacious bar. There is also a bar in the dining room where tables are covered with brown wrapping paper. Woody’s is a fun place. You can purchase souvenir mugs and T-shirts or gaze at the stuffed lobster on the wall. Visit the website, and you will have a good chuckle! The windows are draped with fish netting, and there’s a great, down-home atmosphere. Soft country music plays in the background, and we hear a happy buzz from the other customers. You’ve got to appreciate plastic at Woody’s, and the advantage is that you don’t have to be afraid of making a mess! If you need more napkins, there’s a convenient roll of beige paper towels right at your table.

Our very friendly waitress immediately brings a basket of warm bread and plenty of homemade cocktail and tartar sauce. We both wish we can overlook the crab cakes to try something new like the Eastern Shore Clambake consisting of fresh chicken, shrimp, clams, king crab, carrots, spinach, new potatoes, all steamed in Woody’s special seasonings. It is served with fresh steamed corn on the cob. But we gravitate back to the crab cakes which are made fresh everyday. We’re not disappointed.

Rob points out as we begin to eat that these are crab cakes, not crab croquettes, and we are eating meat, not mush. The cakes are big and hearty fare. We choose the dinner with one cake, and that is really sufficient. We are not eating filler, but lumps of crab meat, delicately but perfectly seasoned. Our dinner comes with a ramekin of creamed spinach seasoned with garlic and broiled just enough to give it a crusty top. Delicious! We are served twice-baked potatoes. These potatoes are not mashed up but remain chunky with a delicious crisp skin. It’s a scrumptious meal in a laid back atmosphere. Everything is excellent and without pretense. It’s wonderful.

Woody’s is a family-owned business begun by her father and now run by Rachel Wood. In 2001, Woody’s was voted one of the top 10 seafood restaurants on the East Coast by American Express’ magazine, Travel and Leisure, and I’m not surprised. It was the winner of “Best in the Bay” by Chesapeake Bay Magazine from 1996 until 2003. Since the family bought the restaurant, they’ve added the garden room and expanded in other ways. The new addition is Ice Cream Alley, and you can’t miss it. Outside the entrance is a great big cow! She’s terrific, and she certainly catches the eye. No room for ice cream, however, after that great meal. On a side note, North East is worth some additional time. There are cute shops and a charming small town quality that ought not to be overlooked.

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