Dunker Church
| Dunker Church | |
|---|---|
| Part of Battle of Antietam | |
| Sharpsburg, Maryland | |
The Dunker Church | |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States National Park Service |
| Condition | Rebuilt for the Civil War Centennial |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 39°28′31.3″N 77°44′48.4″W / 39.475361°N 77.746778°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1962 |
| In use | Site of major battle on September 17, 1862 |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Antietam |
| Events | First major battle fought on Union soil during the American Civil War |
The Dunker Church is a historic American Civil War battlefield site, notable for its pivotal and fiercely contested fighting during the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, one of the most significant battles of the Civil War. Originally constructed in 1852 by members of the Schwarzenau Brethren, commonly known as Dunkers for their practice of full-immersion baptism, the simple, whitewashed structure served a small rural congregation near Sharpsburg, Maryland.