Near Sharpsburg, within the Antietam National Battlefield, is this monument honoring the 21st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.
The monument is located by the Burnside Bridge on the east side of Antietam Creek.
The monument is bullet-shaped monument about 3 ft high and on a plain stone or concrete base. The top is pointed. The bullet is girded by three deep grooves. Where the monument sits is a short octagonal raised platform on the base.
On the bullet form is the following:
"21st Mass. Vol. Inf'y
2nd Brig. 2nd Div.
9th A.C."
On the base below is the following:
"Erected by 21st Regt. Mass. Vol.
Association"
On the other side of the base is the following:
"The following Comrades were killed near this bridge:
2nd Lieut. Henry C. Holbrook Co. "D"
Priv. Wm. B. Boynton Co. "D"
Priv. Amos S. Eastman Co. "E"
Corp. Henry K. Buss Co. "E"
Priv. Geo. T. Bigelow Co. "G"
Corp. Jas. S. Stratton Co. "G"
Priv. Daniel Daley Co. "I"
Priv. Chas. Leonard Co. "E"
1st Sergt. Geo. W. Davis Co. "E"
Priv. Chas. S. Brigham
and 35 other wounded"
The unit was commanded by Col. William S. Clark. It was organized in July 1861 and mustered out in August 1864. The unit saw a lot of action. Major battles include Battles of Roanoke, Bull Run, Fredericksburg, and the Spottsylvania Courthouse.
According to stonesentinels.com, this and other monuments were previously mounted on the parapets of the Burnside Bridge, until auto traffic was moved to a bridge upstream in the 1960s. The bridge was restored and the monument was moved to the present location.
Other Sources:
StoneSentinels.com (Antietam - Monument to the 21st Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment):
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CivilWarIntheEast.com (21st Massachusetts Infantry Regiment):
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