On August 22, 1838, Samuel Mumma Jr. was born in a little white brick farmhouse near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Samuel was one of thirteen children. He grew up playing on green rolling hills, working in the fields and was baptized in Antietam Creek. Samuel's parents were devout Dunkers (German Baptists). They believed in equality, pacifism, and service
Their peace and tranquility ended on September 17, 1862. Confederate and Union armies swarmed the countryside in the Battle of Antietam. The Mumma family fled to their church north of the battle grounds. That day, Robert E. Lee ordered Confederate soldiers to burn the Mumma farmhouse to the ground so that Union snipers could not use it as a home base.
A few days later the Mumma family returned home to total devastation. Crops were trampled, livestock killed, a pile of ashes where their house had been. As the armies were burying soldiers on both sides of their land, the Mummas began to rebuild the farm. They had to start from scratch. It took eighteen back breaking months.
Fast forward to 1890. Samuel Mumma Jr. still lived in Sharpsburg. He and his wife had two grown sons and seven daughters. At almost 70 years of age, Samuel took the job of town postmaster.
One day a letter arrived at the post office. It was from James Clark of New Burn, North Carolina. James said that he was the officer who reluctantly followed orders to burn the Mumma farm. James and several other soldiers tossed a piece of burning campfire wood through an open window where it landed on a straw mattress, soon engulfing the house in flames. James had felt terrible about this for years and now had written this letter of apology. Would the postmaster please forward this letter to the family who had lived in that home?
As Samuel read James' letter, memories of his childhood home came back to him. He remembered the helplessness of losing everything, the anger from needless destruction, the toll on his parents. And then he remembered the principles of his faith - peace, love, forgiveness. Samuel sent a letter back to James. He assured James that he understood the young soldier was only acting under orders and that the Mumma family held no grudge and offered their full forgiveness. He sent James some postcards with scenes of Antietam as a good will gift. For Samuel and James, once again, the war was over.
There is a plaque outside the Dunker church of Antietam pictured above.
The Battle of Antietam was one of the bloodiest battles in the history of this nation. Yet, one of the most noted landmarks on this great field of combat is a house of worship associated with peace and love. Indeed, the Dunker Church ranks as perhaps one of the most famous churches in American military history. This historic structure began as a humble country house of worship constructed by local Dunker farmers in 1852. It was Mr. Samuel Mumma, owner of the nearby farm that donated the land the church is on.
Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. Jude 1:2
very tender
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