For 18 years, volunteers have made 23,110 luminarias possible

Dec. 3, 2006
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon@fredericknewspost.com

     FREDERICK — Three cigars wrapped in a note held together with string changed the course of American history during the Civil War in the early 1860s.
     The note, dropped by a Confederate courier, revealed war plans that helped Union forces head off an unexpected attack. It also helped bring the bloodiest one-day battle in American history to Antietam on Sept. 17, 1862.
     More than 3,650 soldiers were killed that day, according to the National Park Service Web site. About 17,300 were wounded and more than 1,770 were reported missing or captured, bringing the number of casualties to more than 22,720.
     For the past 18 years, the Antietam National Battlefield has hosted an annual memorial in December to honor soldiers who were killed or wounded at the Battle of Antietam.
     The memorial is held in December after the final harvest so the luminarias can be seen.
     Each year, more than 1,400 volunteers honor the memory of the battle along a six-mile stretch of Antietam National Battlefield with 23,110 luminarias — paper bags filled with sand, a plastic cup and a candle.
     Each luminaria represents a casualty of the Battle of Anti etam. A line of cars, which often exceeds two miles in length, follows the route with only parking lights turned on after the sun sets.
     Park Ranger Keith Snyder said the illumination ceremony has an almost mythic beginning.
     When volunteers suggested setting out luminaries to honor the battle, the park superintendent jokingly agreed if they could manage one for each casualty, Mr. Snyder said. Volunteers returned a week later with a plan.
     “That just shows you the power of volunteerism,” Mr. Snyder said. “It's one of the many powerful things in this country that makes us so unique.”
     The event has grown so popular, a few hundred volunteers are turned away each year, he said.
     “This helps you get a handle on what 23,000 looks like,” Mr. Snyder said. “We toss that number around all the time, but it's hard to grasp — this really helps you to visualize what that number looks like.”