West Woods Trail map (click to enlarge)

Length: 1-mile loop
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Hilly, somewhere between easy and moderate

The West Woods Trail begins at the parking lot for the West Woods stop on the Antietam National Battlefield Tour. There is a brochure that goes along with the trail that is available for free at the Visitor Center, so be sure to stop there first. Information on the brochure corresponds to numbered posts along the route.

The parking lot at the tour stop is an oval with the Philadelphia Brigade Monument in the center. There are trailheads on either side of the oval, one starting off west in the counterclockwise direction and one starting off south in the clockwise direction. If you do not have the trail brochure, then it makes no difference which way you go. However, to come to the numbered posts in chronological order you must start at the southbound trailhead, which is on the side of the parking lot where the wayside exhibits for the tour stop are located. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the brochure and ended up going around the wrong way, and this trail report is written from that perspective.

Parking lot at the West Woods stop on the Antietam National Battlefield Tour

The West Woods Trail passes largely through the forest, so you won’t need any sunscreen. However, when I did the hike in late August there were plenty of gnats. Insect repellant usually has no effect on them, so the nuisance is just something you must put up with unless you have a hat and mosquito net for your head.

The terrain is hilly, but most of the hills are mild. In difficulty, it ranks somewhere between easy and moderate. It is an enjoyable hike that leads to a few monuments that you cannot reach in your vehicle, plus you get to experience the battlefield terrain firsthand.

Following the fighting at The Cornfield a quarter mile to the northwest of the West Woods, a division of the Union 2nd Corps commanded by General John Sedgwick pursued the remnants of Confederate general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s men into the forest. They marched due west unaware that Confederate artillery was directly to their front and that two divisions of reinforcements were heading towards them from the south and southwest. When the fighting began, Sedgwick’s men were stacked three brigades deep, and those to the rear could not return fire without shooting their comrades in the back. This effectively cut their firepower by two thirds. Within thirty minutes of fighting, Sedgwick lost over 2,000 men (killed or wounded). The debacle is commonly referred to as The Disaster in the West Woods.

West Woods Battle Map

To hike around the West Woods Trail in the wrong direction as I did—which isn’t really a big deal—start on the opposite side of the parking lot from the wayside exhibits. There is a W WOODS TR post at the curb, and not too far away is the 3rd Delaware Volunteer Infantry Monument, which looks like a large tombstone. Head towards the monument to begin the hike.

West Woods Trail starting point if hiking in a counterclockwise direction, Antietam National Battlefield

3rd Delaware Volunteer Infantry Monument at Antietam National Battlefield

Once you get to the monument you will see sign posts for the West Woods Trail to your left. The trail heads west through a combination of forest and field towards Sharpsburg Pike / MD 65. If you were hiking in this direction around 9 AM on September 17, 1862, you would have been marching along with the Union troops as they headed into the woods in pursuit of the Confederates after the fighting at The Cornfield had ceased.

West Woods Trail enters the forest on the north end of the trail, Antietam National Battlefield

Typical terrain at the northwest end of the West Woods Trail at Antietam National Battlefield

In a little over a tenth of a mile, the trail comes out at Sharpsburg Pike. On the other side of the highway—though you can’t see it due to trees—is the Alfred Poffenberger Farm (nephew of Joseph Poffenberger who owned the farm at the North Woods). This is where the remnants of Jackson’s men came after being driven from The Cornfield. A little farther to the west is the Hauser Farm where Confederate artillery was positioned on a ridge. There was actually no road between where you are standing and the farm in 1862 (at least not a major thoroughfare). The main road in the area at that time was the Hagerstown Pike, which is now called Dunker Church Road.

Antietam National Battlefield’s West Woods Trail at Sharpsburg Pike

At the road is the 15th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Monument, which was erected in 1900. Upon reaching this point during the Union pursuit of the Confederates, the 15th Massachusetts was caught in a crossfire from three sides. Of the regiment’s 550 men, 75 were killed outright and 255 were wounded. Forty-three of the wounded ended up dying. This was the highest casualty rate of any regiment in the Battle of Antietam.

15th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Monument at Antietam National Battlefield

To continue the hike, head down the slight hill to the south and walk through the grass alongside the road. In a tenth of a mile the trail turns east, back into the forest. There is a monument to an individual soldier, Lieutenant Colonel John L. Stetson, who was killed at this spot on the battlefield.

Lieutenant Colonel John L. Stetson Memorial on the West Woods Trail at Antietam National Battlefield

You may notice that the trees in the West Woods are not very large. That’s because much of the forest was cut down and converted into farmland after the Civil War and remained farmland up until 1990 when the National Park Service acquired the property. The trees you see today were planted only 30 years ago in an effort to restore the historical West Woods to its 1860s appearance.

Typical terrain on the southwest end of the West Woods Trail at Antietam National Battlefield

Typical terrain on the southwest end of the West Woods Trail at Antietam National Battlefield

The West Woods Trail heads west for .2 mile before turning south just past Stop 4 (per the trail brochure), and once heading south, in 500 feet it comes out at a gravel road at Stop 3. It was in this area that the left flank of the Union line was hit hard by the Confederates. There are monuments for the 34th New York Infantry and the 125th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, the two regiments at the extreme left flank of the Union line that were cut off from the rest of Sedgwick’s division and had to fight the onslaught of Confederates on their own. The soldiers began a retreat and ended up running into their comrades. This spooked the entire division, and soon all of Sedgewick’s men were hightailing it out of the West Woods.

34th New York Infantry Monument at Antietam National Battlefield

125th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Monument at Antietam National Battlefield

Follow the gravel road to the left and you will soon be at the backside of the Dunker Church. Looking at a map, The Cornfield, the West Woods, and the church all appear to be quite far from each other, but when you hike the battlefield, you realize just how close they are.

Gravel road at the south end of the West Woods Trail at Antietam National Battlefield

Backside of the Dunker Church, Antietam National Battlefield

Once at the church, the West Woods Trail turns north back into the forest towards Philadelphia Brigade Park, which is the official name of the small park where the West Woods tour stop is located.

West Woods Trail reenters the forest near the Dunker Church at Antietam National Battlefield

Typical terrain on the southeast side of the West Woods Trail at Antietam National Battlefield

The hike ends on the opposite side of the parking lot from where it began, coming out downhill and south of the Philadelphia Brigade Monument. If you hike the West Woods Trail in the proper direction, this is where you would start.

Philadelphia Brigade Park at the West Woods stop on the Antietam National Battlefield Tour

During the fighting in the West Woods, the Philadelphia Brigade lost more than 550 men. After the war, surviving members formed the Philadelphia Brigade Association and purchased the property for the placement of a monument. The extra land was turned into a park, now known as Philadelphia Brigade Park. The monument and park were dedicated in 1896. The land was purchased for $1 in 1940 by the National Park Service for inclusion in Antietam National Battlefield.

Philadelphia Brigade Monument at Antietam National Battlefield

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