Canadians in the Civil War

Civil War-5 Earl Plato
We four Canadians had driven from Fort Erie in April heading for the Civil War battle site at Antietam Creek, Maryland. We drove south on 219 out of Buffalo. Check it out on your atlas. Look for Sharpsburg, Maryland.
Remember Civil War historian, Bruce Catton’s words “ ... was the bloodiest single day’s work in the entire Civil War.”
Writer’s Note: The afternoon phase of the battle took place from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the stone bridge (Burnside). However, I recalled two other memorable battle sites on that Antietam battlefield and must tell about them too, but the bridge first.
The Bridge: Captain David Thompson a Union officer wrote, “At Antietam our Corps, the 9th, under Burnside, was on the extreme left opposite the stone bridge.”
Note: The New York Volunteer Regiment the 59th was there. Now was the time for the Union to attack and they tried to cross the narrow bridge. Time and time again they were forced back. By whom? By a few hundred Georgia riflemen stationed among the trees on the far bank. Burnside kept pouring fresh troops at the well entrenched Georgians. The 59th were here and lost men in those futile attempts to gain the Lower bridge and attack the enemy from the flank. Burnside refused to stop the assault on the Lower bridge. One historian said that the fighting here at Burnside’s bridge was a key factor in the Union’s McClelland’ failure at Antietam. He felt that if General Burnside had been allowed to attack early in the day things would have been different. Why?
Late in the afternoon the 9th Corps (including the 59th) took the Lower bridge at a great loss of Union soldiers. Burnside reformed his regiments and began to march across the rolling hills toward Sharpsburg. His aim was to cut off Lee. You know the oft repeated story. General Lee, the brilliant strategist, sent his General A.P. Hill, who had just arrived from Harper’s Ferry to cut off Burnside, and his decimated 9th Corps. Just as Burnside was about to reach an advantageous position Hill attacked and drove the 9th back. Battle over for now.
The big ‘IF’ - if McCelland, the ever procrastinator, had allowed Burnside to move across the Lower bridge at Antietam Creek early in the morning it might have spelled a major defeat for the South. It didn’t happen. Earlier that day - The Dunker Church: - On that September 17, 1862 morning the first battle clashed centred around the little Dunker church.
Many of us in Fort Erie have some Dunker relatives and ties. The Dunkers were German Baptist Brethren. Many had settled in the immediate area around Sharpsburg, Maryland. In 1851 the Mumma family donated a tract of land near their farm for the construction of a church. In 1853 the small brick building was completed. It was whitewashed as the photo shows. No steeple or cross to adorn the simple building. These were plain hard working farmers. Little did they know by September 14, 1852 these peace loving folk and their church would be in the centre of a major battle.
Next: The church in the centre.