Antietam Creek

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Antietam Creek
Burnside Bridge near Sharpsburg, Maryland

Burnside Bridge near Sharpsburg, Maryland

Data
location Pennsylvania and Maryland , United States
River system Potomac River
Drain over Potomac River  → Chesapeake Bay
origin West and East Branch Antietam Creek at Waynesboro
39 ° 43 ′ 24 ″  N , 77 ° 36 ′ 20 ″  W
Source height 175  m
muzzle at Antietam north of Harpers Ferry , West Virginia, in the Potomac River Coordinates: 39 ° 25 ′ 2 "  N , 77 ° 44 ′ 44"  W 39 ° 25 ′ 2 "  N , 77 ° 44 ′ 44"  W
Mouth height 84  m
Height difference 91 m
Bottom slope 1.3 ‰
length 67.7 km
Catchment area 751 km²
Discharge at gauge 1.5 km SO Sharpsburg
A Eo : 728 km²
Location: 6.5 km above the mouth 		NNQ (November 22, 1957)
HHQ (July 20, 1956) 		266 l / s
357 m³ / s

The Antietam Creek is a 67.7 km long tributary of the Potomac River in the so-called Hagerstown Valley in the eastern United States . The river gained fame through the Battle of Antietam .

geography

It arises in Franklin County in the US state of Pennsylvania about 3.5 km south of Waynesboro in Pennsylvania, where its East Fork merges with the West Fork . After about 500 m he reaches Washington County in the US state of Maryland . After another 67 km, it flows into the Potomac River at Antietam above Harpers Ferry .

The catchment area covers an area of ​​751 km²; of which 479 km² are in Maryland and 272 km² in Pennsylvania.

history

The middle bridge over Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, photograph from September 1862

The name Antietam is probably derived from a phrase in the Algonquin language that means something like fast flowing water .

The watercourse is known for the 19th century stone arch bridges that still cross it today, most notably the 38 m long Burnside's Bridge , which is on the site of the Antietam National Battlefield .

The area at the mouth of the watercourse was the site of the Battle of Sharpsburg, as the Battle of Antietam Creek is also known, on September 17, 1862. Burnside's Bridge became a focal point of the fighting as Union forces under General Ambrose Burnside repeatedly attempted to capture the bridge from Confederate forces who overlooked the watercourse from a high cliff. The day of the battle is known as "the day Antietam Creek was red" because the blood of thousands of fallen soldiers mixed with the water. Both sides lost about a quarter of their troops. The battle is considered a tactical Union victory because General Lee was forced to withdraw from Maryland.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ East Branch Antietam Creek ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey .
  2. ↑ West Branch Antietam Creek ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey .
  3. ^ A b c Antietam Creek ( English ) In: Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  4. ↑ a b Antietam Creek Watershed Restoration Plan ( en , PDF; 3.5 MB) p. 10-17 September 2012. Accessed February 2, 2019.
  5. ↑ USGS 01619500 Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, MD ( en ) In: National Water Information System: Web Interface . United States Geological Survey. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Antietam ( en ) Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  7. ↑ Antietam . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 2 : Andros - Austria . London 1910, p. 124 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).