September 17, 2026 marks the 164th anniversary of the single bloodiest day in American history. On the outskirts of Sharpsburg, Maryland along the quietly flowing Antietam stream, Americans fought each other with a passion and blood lust never before witnessed on the American continent. By the end of the day's fight on that Wednesday in 1862, over 22,000 dead, wounded and missing men would be counted as casualties.
Among the men who fought in the cornfields, orchards, sunken roads, and woodlots were young soldiers from Michigan, serving with the 7th, 8th, and 17th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiments as well as Berdan's First and Second U.S. Sharpshooters, which included 4 companies from Michigan. Other Michigan regiments were present also in supporting roles and after battle actions against the confederate army. Hundreds of Michigan soldiers now lie in shallow graves at the Antietam National Cemetery.
Last week, I had the incredible opportunity to accompany 30 soldiers of the Michigan Army and Air National Guard (MIARNG) on a staff ride of the battlefield. These NCO's spent three days in classroom instruction and battlefield tours learning tactics, maneuvers, and troop and artillery deployment, the skills that are still relevant and essential to our modern-day warriors. As director of the Michigan State Capitol's Save the Flags program, I took along five replica battle flags of the Civil War regiments engaged in the battle and our modern soldiers carried them on the fields where the originals flew. I was invited to share a few of the hundreds of stories of the sacrifice of Michiganders under the folds of their beloved battle flags.
With the support, direction, and great assistance of the NPS staff at Antietam we cleaned over 200 Michigan and Maryland headstones at the National Cemetery. My thanks to the MIARNG for their kind invitation and also thanks to the staff of the Antietam Institute (Chris Vincent, James Rosebrock and Laura Marfut), the Antietam National Battlefield, and the Michigan State Capitol Commission for their support. In addition to the photos found below, a photo gallery and videos of the staff ride, including this historic march of the replica flags across Burnside's Bridge, can be found on the Michigan National Guard's Flickr page.
Michigan does not have a monument honoring the service of her soldiers upon the battlefield of Antietam. The Michigan Civil War Association, a nonprofit 501c3 organization, is endeavoring to correct this injustice. Information about this initiative may be found here: https://michigancivilwarassociation.org/project-overview/
-Matt VanAcker, Director/Curator of Save the Flags
