My name is Todd Livesey, and I am by day a computer programmer at AvantGo, Inc., the leading provider of infrastructure software and services that power the mobile economy.
I first became interested in the American Civil War in 1990, after watching the Ken Burns' PBS series, The Civil War. There, for the first time, I heard the name of Antietam. It wasn't until I read Franssanito's book on the photography of Antietam that I could conceptualize that this was a real event at a real place which could still be visited and studied today.
I have visited other Battlesites from Pennsylvania to New Mexico, and although each has a compelling story to tell, none hold the same magnetic pull in terms of scope, stakes, and significance. Often overshadowed by other giants such an Gettysburg and Shiloh, Antietam is often dismissed as a bloody affair that changed nothing. For all practical purposes, however, it was, in fact, the turning point in the war. Jefferson Davis put it best:
"Our maximum strength had been laid out, while the enemy was but beginning to put forth his."
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