Civil War Trust Honors Former Antietam Park Chief

SHARPSBURG, Md. (AP) -- A prominent group is honoring the recently retired superintendent of the Antietam National Battlefield for helping protect hallowed ground at the site near Sharpsburg.

The Washington-based Civil War Trust named John Howard on Saturday as the group's National Park Service Preservationist of the Year.

Howard retired in December after 15 years at Antietam. During that time he worked with the Civil War Trust to permanently protect 200 acres.

Howard also boosted efforts to restore the battlefield's landscape and historic structures.

Howard said in November that working at Antietam opened his eyes to how the battle on Sept. 17, 1862, affected the local populace and the nation. It was the bloodiest one-day battle of the war, ending with 23,000 fighters dead, wounded or missing.

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