Article Photos: Antietam battle so big, there are 2 re-enactments



In this Aug 19, 2012 photo, Civil War re-enactors fire a 12-pound Napoleon cannon during "Thunder on the Mountain" at South Mountain State Battlefield near Burkittsville, Md. The Battle of Antietam was so big, they’re re-enacting it twice. And nearly 8,000 re-enactors had to make a choice: strictly regimented realism or bombastic spectacle? The two privately financed events, both open to the public, were scheduled on back-to-back weekends leading up to Monday’s 150th anniversary of the bloodiest day of combat on U.S. soil. (AP Photo/The Herald-Mail, Colleen McGrath)

In this Aug 19, 2012 photo, Civil War re-enactors fire a 12-pound Napoleon cannon during "Thunder on the Mountain" at South Mountain State Battlefield near Burkittsville, Md. The Battle of Antietam was so big, they’re re-enacting it twice. And nearly 8,000 re-enactors had to make a choice: strictly regimented realism or bombastic spectacle? The two privately financed events, both open to the public, were scheduled on back-to-back weekends leading up to Monday’s 150th anniversary of the bloodiest day of combat on U.S. soil. (AP Photo/The Herald-Mail, Colleen McGrath)