SHARPSBURG, Md. (AP) — The bloodiest day of the Civil War is the focus of an unusual holiday show near Sharpsburg.

The event Friday night at the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum features actors in period dress portraying real-life residents preparing for Christmas in the aftermath of the 1862 Battle of Antietam.

Organizers say the idea is to help people understand the terrible price that citizens paid after the battle on Sept. 17, 1862. More than 23,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or declared missing in the clash, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg.

The first-person tales of destruction, sickness, hunger and survival are based on historical records.

The show precedes the annual illumination of the battlefield on Saturday. The landscape will be lit by 23,000 candles for a drive-thru tour.

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