Today is my dad’s birthday. You can read my birthday poem to him – from two years ago – here. As per usual, even though I have his birthday marked on several calendars, yesterday I was all surprised that the date was already here. So his card will be late. I did wish him a happy birthday on the phone yesterday, and I might call him tonight to sing atrociously (if he’s lucky he won’t be home so he can just delete the message quickly).
I saw on my Today in History widget that today is the day that Joshua A. Norton declared himself Emperor Norton I of the United States in 1859. I spent some time browsing his Wikipedia page – fascinating man! I might have to write a poem about him.
This is also the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam. 23,000 soldiers died that day. That’s a number that’s pretty hard to grasp – but just for example, the town I live in has around 25,000 people in it. I’ve been through the battlefield – today it’s peaceful and green. Hard to imagine that long ago day when the fields were red with the blood of the fallen. And in fact, I actually try to NOT imagine it.
Dr. M posted some nice photos of our Ohio. Some are repeats from my Saturday post, but there are new things too. Reading his post would be a nice antidote to considering Antietam.
I have felt a few murmurings of creative thought. Maybe summer with all its somnolent ways is finally gone. Maybe.
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Happy birthday to your dad. :)
ReplyDeleteI think you meant 150th anniversary, but regardless, Antietam was one nasty battle for sure. (Weren't they all?)
S
Why yes I DID mean 150. I'm going to fix it now. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, that's the number of casualties (killed or wounded), not the number of dead. Something like 3,600 men were killed in battle; many more would die of their wounds, wound-related infections, etc., over the next few weeks. Still, that ranks Antietam as the bloodiest one-day battle in U.S. military history, and the fifth bloodiest battle of the American Civil War.
ReplyDeleteStrange, I followed the Antietam link and that's what all the comments are about. Thanks Bug, sobering but I am more informed now.
ReplyDelete23.000 soldiers is an amazing number! So many people have sacrificed their lives for the freedoms so many of us take for granted.
ReplyDeleteForgot to wish your dad a Happy Birthday!
ReplyDeleteHappy BD to your Dad!
ReplyDeleteI've been to Antietam and the thought of that single day is mind boggling. Even though seeing and caring for the dead does not disturb me, I, too, cannot begin to imagine the number 23,000.
ReplyDeleteIn one day.
Brothers.
Staggering.
To have survived must have been a tremendous burden.
It's hard for us to imagine how horrible those old-fashioned battlefield confrontations must have been. And yes, Antietam is such a beautiful place now, it's hard to believe it was the scene of such carnage.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, with all of my reading, I've never read anything about the Civil War. Think I'll get onto Shelby Foote's books one of these days. Unless your professor M. has another suggestion.
ReplyDeleteHope your dads birthday was great. My aunt does not sing....well....and once she was singing to her twin babies as she was rocking them to sleep...and one of them put his precious little hand against her mouth and said..."Don't Mommy....bad." She cried.
ReplyDelete