"PRY HOUSE" Top 5 Page for this destination Antietam Things to Do Tip by mtncorg

Driving west of Sharpsburg on Maryland 34 (Boonsboro Pike) in the direction of Boonsboro, you cross Antietam Creek and about one mile on the left, look for a small sign that points to the Pry House. The little unpaved lane will take you to a graveled parking lot below the house. Federal commander Maj. Gen. George McClellan used this home as his headquarters during the battle. You can get an idea of what he could see from the bank above the back of the house - though the trees grow more profusely and higher today. The soaring New York monument and the battlefield Visitor Center can be clearly seen 1.5 miles to the west. You also might get the impression that with smoke obscuring much of the actions, McClellan may have been a bit too removed from the scene. Once the battle started, he sat back and let his corps commanders fight their own battles in what turned out to be a disjointed manner. He missed many potential opportunities to reinforce local successes that could have led to a decisive victory over Lee on this Sept 17, 1862, but that was not in McClellan's nature. Plus, he was convinced that here at Antietam, as at about every other place he had faced Rebel forces, that there were twice as many of the enemy as were actually there.
The Pry House was also used as a hospital during and after the battle, to which most of the displays in the house are devoted.

Website: http://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/pryhouse.htm