by Alann Schmidt, Terry Barkley
The Dunker Church is one of the most iconic structures of the American Civil War. Few people know much, if anything, about its fascinating back story, the role it played within the community of Sharpsburg, and its importance during and after the Battle of Antietam. Alann Schmidt and Terry Barkley rectify this oversight in the first book-length study of its kind with September Mourn: The Dunker Church of Antietam Battlefield. On September 17, 1862, two mighty armies grappled across the rolling hills, fields, and woodlots surrounding Sharpsburg, Maryland. The combat killed, wounded, or left missing more than 23,000 Union and Confederate soldiers, repulsed Lee's invading Virginia army, and paved the way for Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Ironically, the small whitewashed building dedicated to peace, equality, and the brotherhood of man stood in the epicenter of the bloodiest day in American history. The German Baptist Brethren, or Dunkers (Dunkards) as they were colloquia lly known, built the Mumma Church of the Manor congregation in 1853, just nine years before Antietam. In addition to being a house of worship with important ties to the local community, the history of the Dunker Church is linked with such notable figures as Stonewall Jackson, Clara Barton, Abraham Lincoln, and even Mark Twain. The structure was heavily damaged during the battle, housed torn bodies as a hospital in its aftermath, and suffered a complete collapse before undergoing the long and arduous process of being rebuilt. Schmidt's and Barkley's impressive September Mourn is based upon years…
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