Near Sharpsburg in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Mission of Death
Antietam National Battlefield
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Craig Swain, September 17, 2011
1. Mission of Death Marker
The marker features a portrait of General Sturgis and a wartime photo of Burnside Bridge. Alexander Gardner placed his camera on this hillside and captured this image less than a week after the battle.
"I do not hesitate to affirm that the Confederate position was virtually impregnable to a direct attack over the bridge."
Gen. Jacob Cox, Union 9th Corps
Gen. Samuel D. Sturgis, whose division did most of the fighting here at the bridge, wrote in his official report just five days after the battle that, "Orders arrived from General Burnside to carry the bridge at all hazards. I then selected the Fifty-first New York and the Fifty-first Pennsylvania from the Second [Ferrero's] Brigade, and directed them to charge with the bayonet. They started on their mission of death full of enthusiasm, and taking a route less exposed than the regiments which had made the effort before them, rushed at a double-quick over the slope leading to the bridge and over the bridge itself with an impetuosity which the enemy could not resist, and the Stars and Stripes were planted on the opposite bank at 1 o'clock p.m., amid the most enthusiastic cheering from every part of the field from where they could be seen."
Erected 2011 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this
this page online
Location. 39° 27.072′ N, 77° 43.872′ W. Marker is near Sharpsburg, Maryland, in Washington County. It can be reached from Union Advance Trail south of Burnside Bridge Road, on the right when traveling south. Located on the hill overlooking "Burnside Bridge.". Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 18393 Union Advance Trail, Sharpsburg MD 21782, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Baltimore Metro Region and in Western Maryland. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 21st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); 35th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry (within shouting distance of this marker); 2nd Maryland Infantry (within shouting
Photographed by Craig Swain, September 17, 2011
2. View of the Bridge from the Marker
The marker is located close to the location that Gardner took the famous post-battle photos of the bridge.
Photographed by Craig Swain, September 17, 2007
3. Burnside Bridge
View of the bridge with less foliage at the marker's location.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2012, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 592 times since then and 18 times this year. Last updated on May 30, 2025, by Evan Dwyer of Richmond, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on April 15, 2012, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
