Location Details
- E. Main Street (MD 34)Sharpsburg, MD 21782
During the Battle of Antietam, the Piper House served as headquarters for two Confederate generals and was damaged during the fight at nearby Bloody Lane.
The Piper House is located at the southeast corner of Main and Church Streets in Sharpsburg, Maryland. The original portion of the house was built prior to 1820. At the time of the Civil War, the property was owned by Henry Piper who farmed the land with the help of his slaves.
During the Battle of Antietam, the Piper house served as headquarters for Confederate Generals James Longstreet and Daniel H. Hill. At the urging of the generals, the Piper family left the house before the battle, staying with Henry’s brother who lived near the Potomac River. The Piper House was located at the center of the Confederate line near the Sunken Road. After the southerners were driven from the farm lane, which afterward was known as Bloody Lane, they streamed through the Piper property. The house’s masonry was damaged by shelling and its wooden doors peppered with bullets. After the battle, the Piper House and barn were used as field hospitals and the property was occupied by Union troops for several weeks. During this time much of Piper’s remaining livestock, forage and foodstuffs were confiscated by the Union army. The Piper farm was so devastated during the battle that afterwards the Piper family moved into a second house in Sharpsburg.
Upon Piper’s death in 1891, the house passed into hands of his descendants where it remained until the mid-twentieth century.
