Sep 13, 2013

Baltimore Sun photographer Karl Merton Ferron retraces the steps of famed Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner and shows a modern perspective on the carnage Gardner documented in 1862 when 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after 12 hours of fighting in the Battle of Antietam.

From Now to Then: Whispers of Antietam from Baltimore Sun on Vimeo.

I became interested in the Civil War after watching the Ken Burns PBS series and visiting Antietam National Battlefield while on assignment for The Sun. So when the opportunity presented itself to visit several iconic locations made famous by the work of Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner, I came up with the idea of revisiting some of the battle scenes he photographed.

Gardner documented the carnage only a few days after the infamous battle on Sept. 17, 1862, during which 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after twelve hours of combat, according to the National Park Service. He took his photos with a 3D 4-inch by 10-inch stereographic camera while traveling in a horse-drawn carriage.

The task – finding locations as close as possible to what was witnessed by Gardner as he captured the horrors of Americans killed by Americans – proved to be quite daunting. Two books helped ease my work: “Antietam: The Photographic Legacy of America’s Bloodiest Day” by William A. Frassanito and “Shadows of Antietam” by Robert J. Kalasky.

The modern images I captured seem more like snapshots when compared with the scenes on the battlefield taken by Gardner shortly after the battle in Sharpsburg. Framing the viewfinder where each photo was possibly taken was chilling.

While Gardner’s images captured horrors of war and young men killed while fighting for what they believed in, my photographs showed life had gone on. People now exercise off Cornfield Avenue, they drive along Dunker Church Lane and walk over Burnside Bridge to play guitar along the creek — not to bury the dead.

: A sign locate at the main entrance at Antietam National Battlefield. A strategic Union victory, Antietam was a watershed battle Sept. 17, 1862. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: An undated self-portrait of war photographer Alexander Gardner. Historic images were taken by Gardner only days following the carnage in Sharpsburg and its surrounding land. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: A modern-day view of Burnside Bridge at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle, mimicking an 1862 image labeled “Antietam Bridge (Burnside Bridge).” (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: The left portion of a 3-D photo taken by Alexander Gardner that he labeled “Antietam Bridge (Burnside Bridge)”, following the battle of Antietam about Sept. 22, 1862. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A 3-D photo taken by Alexander Gardner that he labeled “Antietam Bridge (Burnside Bridge)”. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A modern-day view of Burnside Bridge at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle, mimicking an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “Soldier standing at graves of Federal soldiers, along stone fence, at Burnside Bridge, Antietam, Maryland. ” (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: The right portion of a 3-D photo taken by Alexander Gardner that he labeled “Soldier standing at graves of Federal soldiers, along stone fence, at Burnside Bridge, Antietam, Maryland. ” (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A 3-D photo taken by Alexander Gardner that he labeled “Soldier standing at graves of Federal soldiers, along stone fence, at Burnside Bridge, Antietam, Maryland.” (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A modern-day view of Burnside Bridge at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle, mimicking an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “Burnside bridge” was meant to retrace some of the well-known historic images taken by photographer Alexander Gardner only days following the carnage in Sharpsburg. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: A photo taken by Alexander Gardner that he labeled “Antietam Bridge”, following the battle of Antietam Sept., 1862. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A modern-day view of the replica wooden fence along Dunker Church Road (once called Hagerstown Turnpike) as a throng of bike riders stop on the road at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle, mimicking an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “Confederate dead by a fence on the Hagerstown road” -one of two of the most iconic images of Antietam. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: The right portion of a 3-D photo taken by Alexander Gardner that he labeled “”Confederate dead by a fence on the Hagerstown road” following the battle of Antietam Sept., 1862. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A modern-day view of a small hill where two trees stand, somewhere between the visitor’s center and the Mumma Farm at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle, mimicking an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “A lone grave” -one of two of the most iconic images of Antietam – was meant to retrace some of the well-known historic images taken by photographer Alexander Gardner. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: The left side portion of a 3-D photo taken by Alexander Gardner that he labeled “A lone grave” following the battle of Antietam in 1862. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A replica of the original Dunker Church rests in eye’s view of the visitor’s center at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle, mimicking an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “Bodies in front of the Dunker church.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: The right side portion of a 3-D photo taken by Alexander Gardner following the battle of Antietam. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A view looking north toward the Cornfield, and Hagerstown, from the visitor’s center on Dunker Church Road at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle, mimicking an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “View where Sumner’s Corps charged.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: The right portion of a 3-D photo taken by Alexander Gardner labeled “View where Sumner’s Corps charged” following the battle of Antietam Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2001. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A view looking north toward the East Woods, from the visitor’s center on Dunker Church Road at Antietam National Battlefield Wednesday, Sep. 4, 2013. The angle, mimicking an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “Captain J.M. Knap’s Penn. Independent Battery ‘E’ Light Artillery. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: The left portion of a 3-D photo taken called “Captain J.M. Knap’s Penn. Independent Battery ‘E’ Light Artillery” by Alexander Gardner following the battle of Antietam. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A view looking toward the East Woods at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle is an attempt to mimic an 1862 image called “Confederate colonel and horse, both killed at the Battle of Antietam” (it’s known the horse image was taken in the East Woods area but no one is positive yet the exact location) The picture is meant to retrace some of the well-known historic images taken by photographer Alexander Gardner only days following the carnage in Sharpsburg and its surrounding land. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: A photo taken by Alexander Gardner called “Confederate colonel and horse, both killed at the Battle of Antietam” (it’s known the horse image was taken in the East Woods area but no one is positive yet the exact location) following the battle of Antietam. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A view looking across Cornfield Avenue to a small grove of trees at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle mimics an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “View on Battle-field of Antietam.” (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: The right portion of a 3-D photo called “View on Battle-field of Antietam” taken by Alexander Gardner following the battle of Antietam. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A 3-D photo called “View on Battle-field of Antietam” taken by Alexander Gardner following the battle of Antietam. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A view looking at Bloody Lane (also called the Sunken Road) near the observation tower at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle mimics an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “Confederate dead in a ditch on the right wing” – determined to be the first image of Americans lying dead on a battlefield (study and determination by Robert J. Kalasky in book “Shadows of Antietam”). (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: Determined to be the first photo taken of dead Americans on a battlefield, the right portion of a 3-D photo by Alexander Gardner that he captioned ” Confederate dead in a ditch on the right wing ” following the battle of Antietam. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: Determined to be the first photo taken of dead Americans on a battlefield, by Alexander Gardner that he labeled ” Confederate dead in a ditch on the right wing ” following the battle of Antietam. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A view looking across Bloody Lane (also called the Sunken Road) near the observation tower at Antietam National Battlefield Wednesday, Sep. 4, 2013. The angle on the right portion of this photo mimics an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “Dead soldiers in ditch on the right wing where Kimball’s brigade fought so desperately. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: “Dead soldiers in ditch on the right wing where Kimball’s brigade fought so desperately” Sharpsburg, MD — A photo taken at the sunken road by Alexander Gardner following the battle of Antietam. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A view looking into the start of Bloody Lane (also called the Sunken Road) at Antietam National Battlefield. The angle mimics an 1862 stereo (or, 3-D) image called “Ditch with bodies of soldiers on right wing used as a rifle pit by Confederates. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: Caption at LOC archives: “Ditch with bodies of soldiers on right wing used as a rifle pit by Confederates” Sharpsburg, MD . (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A photo labeled “Ditch with bodies of soldiers on right wing used as a rifle pit by Confederates” taken by Alexander Gardner following the battle of Antietam. Photos were captured in stereo (or, 3-D) images. (Alexander Gardner/Courtesy Library of Congress)

: A jogger runs along the paved tour road leading to The War Observation Tower which over the Antietam National Battlefield. The historic battlefield, where thousands died in the bloody battle in 1862, has been carefully preserved. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: A headstone of Samuel F. Lantz (left) and Bentley A. Benner, Maryland Union soldiers, are among the casualties buried at Antietam National Cemetery. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

: A statue of a Union soldier heading into battle on The Cornfield Ave at Antietam National Battlefield. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun)

Whispers of Antietam: Then and Now

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