Large fired .69 cal. Minie Balls, dug near the Dunker Church at the Antietam Battlefield

Being offered are two nice original Civil War bullets, they are fired .69 caliber Minie Balls. One is flattened but they both have the three rings visible. They were recovered years ago near the Dunker Church on the Antietam Battlefield.

During the battle of Antietam, the church was the focal point of a number of Union attacks against the Confederate left flank. Most after action reports by commanders of both sides, including Union General Hooker and Confederate Stonewall Jackson, make references to the church.

Confederate General Robert E. Lee invaded Maryland in the late summer of 1862 and was intercepted by Union General George B. McClellan. Their armies met in the Battle of Antietam (or Battle of Sharpsburg) on September 17, 1862. This would become the single bloodiest day of the Civil War and all of American military history, seeing nearly 23,000 casualties. Great pieces of American History.