Description
The Lutheran church of Sharpsburg, Maryland, sits atop a rise along the main street on the eastern edge of the village. The church was built in 1768, so it was nearly a century old when this photograph was made on September 21 or 22, 1862, in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Antietam, which took place nearby. During the fighting, Confederate forces controlled the church and stationed flag signalmen in the tower; after the battle, Union forces used the church as a field hospital. (Three Union soldiers are visible sitting in front of the building.) Union artillery fire heavily damaged the church, as is evident in this photograph. The structural damage was so extensive that the church had to be razed. Another church was built across the street to replace it.
