The Battle Caused Considerable Destruction of Property Here
William Roulette
This farmstead dates from a time when Sharpsburg was the western frontier. In September 1862, it was the home of William and Margaret Roulette and their six children. They evacuated before the battle, but afterwards returned to find the wreckage of war and their home and yard being used as a field hospital. Then, over seven hundred soldiers (most of them killed at the Sunken Road) were buried on their 180 acre farm. With such "considerable destruction," Roulette filed a claim of $2,496 with the U.S. Government for damage to his property.
No civilians were killed the day of the battle. However many died over the next few months from diseases caused by the unsanitary conditions in the soldier camps and hospitals, mass graves and contaminated water. Sadly, William Roulette wrote of one victim who died five weeks after the battle, "our youngest died ...a charming little girl twenty months old Carrie May - just beginning to talk."
(Caption for Background Photo):
This photo was taken from the west side of the house just after the battle. The 130th Pennsylvania Infantry marched past the house on their way to the Sunken Road. Pvt. J.D. Hemmingen remembered a "large barn, wagon shed, stone wall on which stood the garden fence, the dwelling house and a spring house." The 130th suffered an attack by bees when the Roulette family hives were knocked over during their advance.
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