...23,000 people shed their blood in the bloodiest single battle in American history, Antietam. Every year around the 1st of December, 23,000 luminaries are lit on the battlefield in rememberance of the fallen and wounded.
Though this battle was not on my list of the most "important" events in North American History, it would definitely be on a list of the most sacred events in not only our history, but that of all of humanity. Though the United States of America are often ridiculed and mocked as being hypocritical and not pushing the edge of humanitarian causes enough, the truth of the matter is that this country is and always has been the principle battleground of the war to define liberty, progress, conservatism, anything really, that has to do with the story of human freedom, good or ill. Antietam was one such place where idealism, philosophy, and politics were expressed in human life.
Fortunately, the United States of America is a place where historical memory does not get ignored. Antietam has been preserved as a national battlefield, a place where the living and departed can exist together and memory can come alive rekindled in our hearts. The foundations of the National Park System, in fact, were laid down by military men who felt passion for their land, both natural and cultural. Men such as Grant and Roosevelt wished to safeguard and preserve such places not only for themselves, but to invoke a deeper and more sacred patriotism in the hearts and souls of future generations who would walk upon the battlefields and natural places they sought to preserve. Don't just take my word for it though! National Park Service director Jon Jarvis has a thing or two to say on the matter:
And don't worry, American Voyages is back in action. I just needed a break!
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