Nicodemus Heights, shown here as the cornfield-clad hill in the distance,
is sometimes referred to as the "Little Roundtop of Antietam",
in reference to its similarly to its namesake at Gettysburg.
Like Little Roundtop at Gettysburg,
Nicodemus Heights is often regarded as the key to the northern
portion of the battlefield:
as long as it remained in Confederate hands,
the open space on the Miller farm between the North, East, and West Woods
was a kind of no-man's land.
Unlike its cousin at Gettysburg, there was no fighting for Nicodemus Height. Although Federal troops took a beating from Confederate artillery placed there, no real effort was made to take the hill. Once the battleline moved south of the Cornfield, the action was out of line of sight of Nicodemus Heights, limiting its value.
We are standing on the Hagerstown Turnpike looking northwest. The northern edge of the West Woods are visible on the left; a small portion of the North Woods is visible on the right. Aside from its height, one of the strong features of Nicodemus Heights is the fact that it is protected by a low region that surrounds its base. The depth of this low area can be discerned by the fact that this portion of the West Woods lay inside of it.