[Music: Hope by Keith Kenniff from iMovie audio library] We came across a little offshoot trail on the Appalachian Trail on top of South Mountain. Within moments we found this statue dedicated to a dying civil war confederate soldier from North Carolina. Our area is steeped in some of the bloodiest history from this war: the battles South Mountain, Boonsboro, Antietam, Gettysburg, etc. A most realistic statue. Judging from the number of flags, our area also has a lot of people stuck in that era. I took the pictures of crumbled rocks and a far-away horizon summit view at the site of the first Washington Monument on another part of the ridge of South Mountain. I mentioned it a few posts ago. The story goes that after General Lee crossed the Potomac River invading the North, his soldiers eventually marched into the town of Boonsboro a few miles from the mountain. Looking up at the mountain, he saw people gathered on top of South Mountain and sent soldiers to investigate. Apparently a number of Boonsboro town’s people had gone up there to watch the battle ensue. From up there—a ring side seat to the terror of war. #civilwar #southmountain #boonsboro #soldierstatue #confederatesoldier #bloodywar #changeandgrow https://www.instagram.com/p/COz4o8YhY4j/?igshid=g2uty4i7n0zm