An Excursion of the Philadelphia Brigade to Antietam, September 17, 1906

What follows is an account of the excursion of the Philadelphia Brigade Association to its Antietam Monument on September 17, 1906. 

"At a meeting of the Philadelphia Brigade Association, held at Grand Army headquarters, Fifth and Chestnut streets, on Tuesday evening June 12, 1906, upon motion of Comrade John W. Frazier, it was unanimously agreed that the Brigade Association make a visit to Gettysburg and Antietam, on September 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th, and that a Committee of Seven, with Commander John D. Worman, as chairman, be appointed to make all arrangements for such a trip."

"On the following day Adjutant Frazier wrote to Comrade Chas. T. Loehr, Secretary Pickett's Division Association, informing him of the action taken by the Brigade Association, and suggesting that the survivors of the Philadelphia Brigade would like to meet the comrades of Pickett's Division upon this occasion." 

Soon, the Pickett's Division Association accepted the invitation and the Reunion of the Blue and Gray took shape and dates established. The two former foes would devote September 15-16 to memorializing Gettysburg. On the 17th, the Philadelphia Brigade Association embarked on a day trip to Antietam "to honor by our presence the memory of 545 of our Brigade, who fell in that one day's battle." Things did not go well.  

The itinerary laid out, they would leave Gettysburg, "on Monday morning, at 8.30 o'clock, take a special train for Antietam. Drive to Philadelphia Brigade Park, where dinner will be served, after which a drive over the Antietam battle-field, returning to Gettysburg in time for supper."

And so, "on Monday morning at 8.30 o'clock, the whole party took the special train for Antietam, and although the promise of the Railroad Company was to put us at the Antietam Station at 11 o'clock--a run of about 40 miles in 2 1/2 hours--it was half past one o'clock when the train reached Antietam, full two hours and a half behind time, thus making our trip to Antietam one of vexation, instead of pleasure, inasmuch as dinner had been provided for 150 persons at the Philadelphia Brigade Park at 11.30 o'clock, remaining cooked and uneaten until two o'clock, and depriving us of our anticipated trip over the Antietam battle-field, as we were scheduled to return to Gettysburg at 4 o'clock."

While their dinner must have been a hurried affair, the brigade did have time for a memorial photograph during  their less than two hour visit to the field.

"Starting from Antietam at 4 o'clock, we reached Gettysburg at 6:15, in time for supper, making the return trip in 2 1/4 hours--just half the time it took to make the trip to Antietam from Gettysburg."

Source: John W. Frazier, Reunion of the Blue and Gray: Philadelphia Brigade and Pickett's Division, July 2, 3, 4 1887 and September 15, 16, 17, 1906 (Philadelphia, Ware Bros. Company, Printers, 1906), pp. 10, 57, 113-14.