Antietam National Battlefield is one of the best-preserved Civil War battlefields in the country. A nine mile tour road allows for a self-guided tour of the battlefield. The park brochure provides an elementary overview of the battle, and there are several hundred War Department markers along the tour road that provide more detailed descriptions of the action during the battle. In addition, there is other helpful information on our web site.

Staff rides to America's battlefields are a 100 year old tradition. In fact, the five original battlefield parks - Chickamauga, Antietam, Gettysburg, Shiloh and Vicksburg were created by the War Department in the 1890s just for that purpose. A park ranger may be available to give you a guided tour or staff ride of Antietam. Contact Park Ranger and Army War College graduate Keith Snyder at 301-432-5124 or send him an e-mail to discuss your visit. Military groups who visit the park as part of their professional military education can qualify for a waiver of the entrance fee. In order for the park to waive the entrance fee for your group, you must submit a fee waiver request.

Submit a written request for a fee waiver on your organization's official letterhead in advance of your visit. This letter should include a written statement of educational purpose for your visit, the time and date of your visit, and the number of people in your group. Please send your fee waiver request to Mr. John Howard, Superintendent, Antietam National Battlefield, P.O. Box 158, Sharpsburg, MD 21782-0158. Or you may fax Mr. Howard at (301) 432-4590. Please be sure to include your fax number.

Some usefull documents to download:
•Park Brochure, pdf 610 kb
•Battle Map, pdf 1 mb
•Key to the Battlefield. While visiting the battlefi eld, you will notice several tablets, markers, monuments and cannons that dot the landscape. All are part of the long term preservation and interpretation of the battlefi eld. Here is a guide to what you will see, pdf 1451 kb
•Maryland Campaign Staff Ride - History and Recommendations. Seven page paper on the history of Antietam Staff Rides with recomendations for future visits, pdf 1078 kb