These two views of the Dunker Church show both its modern and wartime appearance from a position just to the southeast, across the Hagerstown pike, which can be seen running in front of the church. As can be seen in the modern photograph, the West Woods, which so prominently loom behind the church in the wartime photo, have been all but completely removed. A reforestation project is currently in progress.

This wartime photo is unquestionably the best known of Antietam, and among the most widely published photos of the entire war. In the foreground rests an abandoned artillery limber, roughly in the position occupied by Stephen Lee's Artillery Battalion. From this plateau, one has a commanding view of the fields to the north (see the 3D picture), making it a position of great tactical importance. The Battalion remained here thoughout the attack of the Union I Corps, until it was forced to retreat when the Union XII Corps reached a point 200 yards from the church, at about 9:00 am. Only after Confederates had been driven from this region was it possible for Union troops to enter the woods and occupy the church, which was performed by the 125th Pennsylvania. Although Union troops had reached their objective, it was still a tenuous position, and they would only hold it for a short while until driven out by Confederate reinforcements that soon arrived in this region.