JamesPascatore
Maryland - September 1862
Séamus O'Lenaghan, a 21-year-old musician from Sliabh Luachra in southwestern Ireland, is fighting with the 69th New York Infantry Regiment of the Irish Brigade. He lost a cousin at Malvern Hill in July, and the sorrow still tugs at his heart, each memory of his cousin a bittersweet reminder of the cost of war. When a bullet glanced off his rib at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August, the close brush with death left him with more than a scar-it imprinted on him a profound respect for life and a determination to make his cousin's sacrifice meaningful. Two days ago, they successfully held the Confederates back at the Battle of South Mountain, but it gave Robert E. Lee enough time to reunite his troops. McClellan spent most of the next two days pondering, devising plans, and deploying troops as they poured through the South Mountain passes.
Now back in action, Séamus and his best buddies Rian, Dáithi, and Conall in the Irish Brigade advance toward Maryland, as the Confederates attempt an invasion of the North. For Séamus, joining the Union army was driven by more than adventure or escape from poverty; he believed in the cause of freedom and the promise of America. Many Irish immigrants like him saw the Union's struggle as a fight for liberty and equality, values they hoped would extend to all men regardless of their background. As the men march toward what will become a defining moment, the weight of anticipation presses down on Séamus. Thoughts of his family and the homeland he left behind mingle with fear and determination. He wonders if the promises of freedom and equality are truly worth the cost. On September 17th, the two armies converged on a little creek called the Antietam, and Séamus prepares for the fight of his life, hoping the preservation of the Union justifies the sacrifices they must make.