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This sunny pasture on the Mumma Farm at Antietam National Battlefield will, on Saturday, July 7, host tens of thousands of celebrants for the Maryland Symphony orchestra¿s Salute to Independence. But in September 1862, following 12 hours of intense fighting, this field was a bloody, trampled, fire-scorched wasteland. (By Ric Dugan/Staff Photographer / July 5, 2012) |
“Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.”
President Abraham Lincoln spoke those words in his Dec. 1, 1862, message to Congress, a little more than two months after the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest one-day battle in American history.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will speak those words on Saturday, July 7, as he begins narrating composer Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” at the Maryland Symphony Orchestra’s 27th annual “Salute to Independence” at Antietam National Battlefield.
“I’m honored to serve as guest narrator and have the opportunity to bring the inspirational words of President Lincoln to life,” O’Malley said in a statement in a MSO press release. “As the governor of a state that played a pivotal role in the Civil War, it is especially meaningful for me to be at Antietam on the eve of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Antietam.”
More than 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after 12 hours of combat on Sept. 17, 1862.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people will gather on the gently sloping ground in front of the stage erected for the concert. They will picnic and visit. They will listen as the Maryland Symphony begins its 31st season. They will cheer the fireworks, Tchaikovsky’s rousing “1812” Overture and the live cannon fire of the Maryland Army National Guard.
“Salute to Independence” is festive, but it does not escape history.
In July 1862, before the battle, that same gently sloping ground was pastureland of the Mumma family farm.
Dennis Frye talked about the battle of Antietam by phone from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, where he is chief historian.
Frye, author of the recently published “September Suspense: Lincoln’s Union in Peril,” set the 150-years-ago scene.
In July 1862, Antietam was quiet. The war was “far away” in Richmond, Va. It was a rough summer, Frye said, hot and with the worst drought on record. Pastures were parched and dusty; the dried-out cornfield was plowed up and planted a second time.
In July 1862, the Mumma family — Samuel, Elizabeth and their 13 children — could not have known that they would evacuate their home just two days before the horror of the battle.
In July 1862, the Mummas could not have known that when they returned on Sept. 19, they would find “only the smoking remains of their house, barn and outbuildings” set afire by Confederate soldiers to prevent Union soldiers from using the house as a position for sharpshooting, according to information on Antietam National Battlefield website.
This weekend’s concertgoers cannot escape history. America’s history and independence will be saluted and celebrated. Music is the heart of the tribute.
“I’m excited about our upcoming ‘Salute to Independence,’ which will honor the 150th anniversary of that sacred space at Antietam,” MSO Music Director Elizabeth Schulze wrote in an email. “Our salute is essential to who we are as the Maryland Symphony. We seek to honor our country’s history and the story of our remarkable service men and women with music that celebrates their brave and exultant spirit.”
Ryan Wagner, the “Voice of Oriole Park at Camden Yards,” will serve as master of ceremonies.
Louisa Tringali will sing the national anthem. The Frederick, Md., native was the winner of this past season’s MSO Vocal Competition.
The program also includes Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” the “Armed Forces Salute” and two of John Philip Sousa’s most famous marches, the “Liberty Bell” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Scott Sabo, principal trumpet player with the orchestra, will be featured on John Williams’ “Born on the Fourth of July” and Nini Rosso’s “Il Silenzio.”
Antietam National Battlefield Superintendent Susan Trail called Antietam “a very beautiful, contemplative landscape” — an appropriate place to hold a Fourth of July observance.
President Abraham Lincoln spoke those words in his Dec. 1, 1862, message to Congress, a little more than two months after the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest one-day battle in American history.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley will speak those words on Saturday, July 7, as he begins narrating composer Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” at the Maryland Symphony Orchestra’s 27th annual “Salute to Independence” at Antietam National Battlefield.
“I’m honored to serve as guest narrator and have the opportunity to bring the inspirational words of President Lincoln to life,” O’Malley said in a statement in a MSO press release. “As the governor of a state that played a pivotal role in the Civil War, it is especially meaningful for me to be at Antietam on the eve of the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Antietam.”
More than 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or missing after 12 hours of combat on Sept. 17, 1862.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people will gather on the gently sloping ground in front of the stage erected for the concert. They will picnic and visit. They will listen as the Maryland Symphony begins its 31st season. They will cheer the fireworks, Tchaikovsky’s rousing “1812” Overture and the live cannon fire of the Maryland Army National Guard.
“Salute to Independence” is festive, but it does not escape history.
In July 1862, before the battle, that same gently sloping ground was pastureland of the Mumma family farm.
Dennis Frye talked about the battle of Antietam by phone from Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, where he is chief historian.
Frye, author of the recently published “September Suspense: Lincoln’s Union in Peril,” set the 150-years-ago scene.
In July 1862, Antietam was quiet. The war was “far away” in Richmond, Va. It was a rough summer, Frye said, hot and with the worst drought on record. Pastures were parched and dusty; the dried-out cornfield was plowed up and planted a second time.
In July 1862, the Mumma family — Samuel, Elizabeth and their 13 children — could not have known that they would evacuate their home just two days before the horror of the battle.
In July 1862, the Mummas could not have known that when they returned on Sept. 19, they would find “only the smoking remains of their house, barn and outbuildings” set afire by Confederate soldiers to prevent Union soldiers from using the house as a position for sharpshooting, according to information on Antietam National Battlefield website.
This weekend’s concertgoers cannot escape history. America’s history and independence will be saluted and celebrated. Music is the heart of the tribute.
“I’m excited about our upcoming ‘Salute to Independence,’ which will honor the 150th anniversary of that sacred space at Antietam,” MSO Music Director Elizabeth Schulze wrote in an email. “Our salute is essential to who we are as the Maryland Symphony. We seek to honor our country’s history and the story of our remarkable service men and women with music that celebrates their brave and exultant spirit.”
Ryan Wagner, the “Voice of Oriole Park at Camden Yards,” will serve as master of ceremonies.
Louisa Tringali will sing the national anthem. The Frederick, Md., native was the winner of this past season’s MSO Vocal Competition.
The program also includes Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man,” the “Armed Forces Salute” and two of John Philip Sousa’s most famous marches, the “Liberty Bell” and “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Scott Sabo, principal trumpet player with the orchestra, will be featured on John Williams’ “Born on the Fourth of July” and Nini Rosso’s “Il Silenzio.”
Antietam National Battlefield Superintendent Susan Trail called Antietam “a very beautiful, contemplative landscape” — an appropriate place to hold a Fourth of July observance.
