The Battle of South Mountain began early on September 14, and by 11 am Union troops of Brig. Send forward officers to explore the way, ascertain the best crossing of the Potomac.. Because Federal and Confederate forces . Miller's 30-acre cornfield at Antietam. Men laughed and giggled, screamed and cried. She saw the desperation of the wounded and dying and did what she could to aid and comfort them. As the sun climbed into the sky on September 15, Lee surveyed a long, low ridgeline east of the town and asserted, We will make our stand on those hills. At noon he received confirmation from Jackson that Harpers Ferry had fallen and directed Stonewall to hurry to Sharpsburg, 12 miles to the north. This further isolated the Confederacy and made it harder for them to re-supply their troops and citizens. List Price: $51.99. The Tigers also clashed with Ricketts brigade, under Colonel Richard Coulter, who had replaced the wounded Hartsuff, as the Federals rushed through the shattered cornfield. Lt. Col. Robert Andersons 3rd Brigade, four regiments of Pennsylvania Reserves, crouched low behind a rail fence at the northern end of the cornfield and waited. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Most of the time its misspelled. Join us online July 24-26! Over Longstreets objections, Lee deployed 18,000 men, 14 infantry and three cavalry brigades in a four-mile line across the woods and fields at the northern end of the ridge, down to the bluffs of Antietam Creek, where the southernmost of three stone bridges spanned its waters. Because Federal and Confederate forces repeatedly traded control of the spot, the fight for the Cornfield is a story of human struggle against fearful . Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) 10. All of Lees troops were worn-out and hungry, and many were sick. Jackson summoned his last reserves, the 2,300 men of Hoods division. Despite having no prior experience and receiving no payment for her services, she bravely drove her cart of medical supplies into the fray at many battles, including Antietam. Strategically, Lees decision to invade the North made sense. It is remembered as the site of some of the most savage fighting of the Battle of Antietam, which itself was the bloodiest single-day action of the Civil War. Stop the Largest Rezoning in Orange County History, Nineteenth-Century Geolocation: The Elliott Map of Antietam, Antietam: Federal Flank Attack at Dunker Church, Lessons From the Fallen: Depictions of the Dead of Antietam, Antietam | Burnside's Bridge | Sep 17, 1862. Fighting raged into the gathering darkness as Georgia and Alabama troops under Brig. Brig. At the same time, he began throwing together a patchwork defense of the South Mountain passes at Turners, Foxs, and Cramptons Gaps. He surveyed the terrain and noticed a patch of high ground about a mile to his front near the junction of the Smoketown Road and the Hagerstown Turnpike. Jones covered the ground to the south and occupied the bluffs above the lower bridge across the Antietam with six brigades. Jefferson County, WV|Sep 12-15, 1862, Frederick County and Washington County, MD|Sep 14, 1862, Washington County, MD|Sep 16-18, 1862, Town of Shepherdstown, WV|Sep 19-20, 1862, Washington County, MD | September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam began at dawn on September 17 as the fog lifted. Williams took command of XII Corps and the fight for the cornfield continued, with men from both sides tripping over the dead and falling bleeding among the severed cornstalks. When another officer asked the whereabouts of his division, he replied sorrowfully, Dead on the field.. Hood said to one of Jacksons aides, Tell General Jackson unless I get reinforcements I must be forced back, but I am going on while I can.. Repeated Union attacks and equally vicious Confederate counterattacks sweep back and forth across Millers cornfield and the West Woods. About half a mile on the other side of the Hagerstown Turnpike, the East Woods flanked the Smoketown Road, which joined the turnpike at an acute angle. This article about the American Civil War is a stub. On September 9, Lee issued Special Order 191 defining his Maryland Campaign. His plan to enter northern territory divided his army, sending each unit to march on a specific town: Boonsboro and Hagerstown in Maryland, and Harpers Ferry and Martinsburg in West Virginia. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. This is that story, Viewers of the 1989 film Glory know it tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts African American regiment and its commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who share a fate at the 1863 assault on Fort Wagner. We cannot afford to be idle.. Alfred Colquitt and Robert Rodes fought desperately to hold the pass. The first Confederate shell struck the ranks of the 6th Wisconsin, killing two soldiers and wounding 11. One of his junior officers observed a large Union formation moving to the right. This battle flag of the 12 th Georgia includes the names of several color bearers who . The 12-hour clash created 21,699 casualties, killed 3,654, and turned many innocuous spots around quiet Sharpsburg, Maryland into national icons of death and suffering, including the Burnside Bridge, the Sunken Road, the West Woods, and the Cornfield . Gen. John Bell Hood went into line on the fringe of the West Woods, a stretch of trees 300 yards wide to the west of the Hagerstown Turnpike, the major thoroughfare that led into Sharpsburg. Under withering fire the Union vanguard pushed forward and the five Pennsylvania regiments of Meades 1st Brigade, under Brig. Dawes remembered: As we appeared at the edge of the cornfield, a long line of men in butternut and gray rose up from the ground. This is that story By David A. Welker Born on 26 June 1819 in Ballston Spa, New York to Ulysses F. and Hester (Donnelly) Doubleday, Abner joined a respected family with deep ties to Continue reading Abner Doubleday in Antietams Cornfield: No Day in the (Baseball)Park, The 1st Georgia Regulars Sergeant William Andrews and the 1st Minnesotas Sergeant Sam Bloomer traveled from very different worlds, and over many miles, to share a moment of grace and humanity amidst the terror of Antietams bloody Cornfield. Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood wrote: "It was here that I witnessed the most terrible clash of arms, by far, that has occurred during the war." Despite having the advantage, he allowed Lee to retreat without resistance. The decimated survivors retreated in disorder, leaving behind 2,200 killed and wounded. Mansfield was carried from the field and died within hours. Because Federal and Confederate forces repeatedly . Early reports from Stuarts cavalry told him that McClellan was on the road to Frederick, and on September 10 he ordered Longstreet to advance to Hagerstown with 10,000 troops, occupying the village before any Union forces might contest the Confederate rallying point. 2. Part of Trimble's Brigade, the 12 th Georgia held part of Jackson's line in front of the Dunker Church during the morning Union attacks at Antietam. Stuarts cavalry was to remain east of South Mountain, screening the movements from the enemy. The next day, the Army of Northern Virginia set out from Frederick. Just then, an enemy sharpshooter put a bullet through Hookers foot, which bled profusely. Why is nurse Clara Barton considered a hero of Antietam? 191, dated September 9. Bodies in front of the Dunker Church - Antietam Battlefield (Library of Congress) In the nether world of the West Woods, choked with the bodies of the dead and wounded and shrouded in the misty blue-gray smoke of musketry and artillery fire, the North Carolinians struck with a vengeance. The fighting was so gory Sunken Road earned a new name: Bloody Lane. Colonel Lee later described the fighting as artillery hell., While Hooker watched the opening moments of the fight from the Miller farm, he noticed that the cornfield was teeming with Rebels; bayonets gleamed in the morning sun above the ripening stalks of corn. Works, was hot on the heels of the fleeing Federals and outran the rest of Woffords brigade. Miller's Cornfield (usually referred to as 'the Cornfield') is a section of the Antietam battlefield of the American Civil War. The siege of Harpers Ferry was to be successfully concluded as soon as possible. The troops began calling themselves the Iron Brigade. Lees positions provided natural cover, with an undulating landscape and rocky limestone outcroppings, while west of the Hagerstown Turnpike the knoll known as Nicodemus Hill offered a commanding position for Confederate artillery. Union troops fired first at the Confederates left flank and the carnage began. It is for you to decide your destiny, freely and without constraint. The Battle of Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, occurred on September 17, 1862, at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. On first division, deploy column, march. The avalanche of Union troops pushed Rodes steadily back and cost him more than one-third of his command. When Lees order reached Jackson, he dutifully prepared another copy for Hill, his brother-in-law, unaware that Chilton had included Hill among those receiving the order directly from Lee. In the 1864 election he was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States. McRaes North Carolina troops advanced into the East Woods. For nearly three hours, Hooker and Mansfield's Union forces battled Jackson's Confederates. Stuarts cavalry screened the Confederate left while D.H. Hills five brigades were funneled into the center of the Confederate line and filed into the sunken road. [1]. It was obvious that Turners Gap could not be held, and he ordered Longstreet and Hill to withdraw to the west. Only darkness halted the Union advance. The Tigers poured heavy fire into the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin, temporarily checking their advance. The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point Kindle Edition by David A. Welker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition 139 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $2.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial The Civil War battle in western Maryland that killed 22,000 menand served no military purpose. Clarissa Clara Harlowe Barton was a former teacher and patent clerk who became a nurse on the front lines during the Civil War. McClellan deployed Hookers I Corps astride the Hagerstown Turnpike to the north. Hooker threw a blanket on the ground near the Poffenberger farmhouse and commented within earshot of George Smalley, a reporter for the New York Tribune, If they had let us start earlier, we might have finished tonight.. The smoke and fog lift; and almost at our feet, concealed in a hollow behind a demolished fence, lies a rebel brigade pouring into our ranks the most deadly fire of the war. Union gunfire wounded Private William Calton Odum of the 6th Georgia Infantry in the right arm during the morning fight in the Cornfield. Harpers Ferry was still in Union hands, and McClellans advance toward South Mountain was disturbing. The 1st Texas, under Colonel P.A. 1. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Getty Images / HUM Images / Universal Images Group, The Significance of the Battle of Antietam, The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/battle-of-antietam. One Union officer saw an arm go 30 feet in the air and fall back again. The fighting was desperate as the Confederate tide surged forward. McClellan sends Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter to mount a cautious pursuit, which is repulsed at the Battle of Shepherdstown. If the Army of the Potomac moved rapidly through the passes in South Mountain, which an overconfident Lee had failed to defend, McClellan might interpose superior forces between Longstreet to the north and Jackson, McLaws, and Walker to the south, take on the Rebel commands separately, and defeat them one at a time. Learn more about the D.R. National Park Service.The Maryland Campaign of 1862. For generations of Americans, the word Antietam - the name of a bucolic stream in western Maryland - held the same sense of horror and carnage that the date 9/11 does for Americans today. There are more than 22,000 casualties at the Battle of Antietam. As the sun was setting, the entire Union I Corps under Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker advanced toward Turners Gap. XII Corps had lost a quarter of its men during the rush across the cornfield toward the Dunker Church. McClellans plan of attack depended on coordination and timing all along the line. From his point of view, hed accomplished his mission of forcing Lees troops from Maryland and preventing a Confederate win on Union soil. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Cornfield: Antietams Bloody Tur., Welker, David A New Book at the best online prices at eBay! Tyndales men charged into the cornfield, and several minutes of hand-to-hand fighting ensued before the Confederates began withdrawing toward the West Woods. Encyclopedia Virginia.The Significance of the Battle of Antietam. A brigade of Georgians under the command of Colonel Marcellus Douglass stood firm along the southern edge of the cornfield, reinforced by three regiments from Walkers brigade. Ironically, Lincolns proclamation didnt free slaves in Marylandone of a handful of slave states that had remained in the Unionsince it only applied to slaves in rebel states. As for Gibbon's brigade, the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin regiments led the brigade with the 19th Indiana and 7th Wisconsin regiments in close support, with Battery B split to support both wings of the brigade. Still, it endorsed the idea that the war wasnt just about states rights but also stopping slavery. National Park Service.Why did Lee Enter Maryland? The Battle of Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, occurred on September 17, 1862, at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The cannon fire literally blew men apart. While the Battle of Antietam is considered a tactical draw, President Lincoln claims a strategic victory. Buy new: $40.64. Same location Antietam National Battlefield--Cornfield Trail, Washington County, Maryland, US Same area and date Another location near Antietam National Battlefield--Cornfield Trail, Washington County, Maryland, US on Sat Apr 15, 2023 Commence, firing! And with that the 88th Pennsylvania entered the fight for Antietams Cornfield By David A. Welker The 88th Pennsylvania Continue reading The 88th Pennsylvania at Antietam: A Cornfield Invalid SavesWashington, With the sun glistening off rainwater on the tall, waving cornstalks this clear September morning, David Miller could have no way of knowing that soon his cornfield would become the most dangerous place to be on earth. The dejected Lee ordered Jackson to march to Shepherdstown to cover the withdrawal of Longstreets force. Just as Burnside's forces begin to collapse the Confederate right, Maj. Gen. A.P. One of my ancestors, Robert W. Austin of . Battle of Antietam, also called Battle of Sharpsburg, (September 17, 1862), in the American Civil War (1861-65), a decisive engagement that halted the Confederate invasion of Maryland, an advance that was regarded as one of the greatest Confederate threats to Washington, D.C. East Woods 4. Gen. Truman Seymour, quickly reached the edge of the East Woods at the Smoketown Road. Three brigades from Hills division supported Hoods defenders, and Brig. Because Federal and Confederate forces . Mansfield and II Corps under Maj. Gen. Edwin Sumner extended the Federal right opposite Hoods positions along the Smoketown Road to high ground near McClellans headquarters at a brick farmhouse. He was convinced that the bulk of Jacksons command, marching hard from Harpers Ferry, would reach the battlefield and swell his ranks to 50,000 men to confront McClellans force of 80,000. Lincoln called the generals condition a bad case of the slows., Though well-liked by his men, McClellan could be vain and boastful. Originally designated the 2nd Continue reading The 90th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Cornfield: Solitary and alone, we gave and took ourmedicine, Barely two dozen yards ahead lay the northern end of the Cornfield. The following morning, McClellan attacks. In his later report, Hooker noted, In the time that I am writing, every stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field was cut as closely as could have been done with a knife, and the slain lay in rows precisely as they had stood in their ranks a few moments before. Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields Your Gift Tripled! The ensuing delay was costly, and before the brigades could rally it was too late to help Duryea. He tended to details while three of Jacksons footsore divisions began trickling into the vicinity. His orders from Lincoln and Army General-in-Chief Henry W. Halleck were somewhat vague: protect Washington and, if possible, destroy Lees army in the process. About noon on the 16th, Jackson rode up to find Lee and Longstreet observing the Union troops across the creek. Later in the war, Lincoln authorized Barton to form the Office of Correspondence with Friends of Missing Men in the United States Army, an effort that eventually identified 22,000 missing Union soldiers. In a superb organizational effort lasting just four days, he completed the assimilation of units from the former Army of Virginia into the Army of the Potomac. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Lee was left with few cards to play. Unfortunately for the Union, this temporal advantage in the center is not followed up with further advances and eventually the Union defenders must abandon their position. Late in the afternoon, reinforcements from Longstreet began to arrive. Nine Union batteries on the ridge behind the Poffenberger farm replied. Free shipping for many products! Hooker sees thousands of his Federals felled in the corn rows, where, every stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field was cut as closely as could have been done with a knife, and the slain lay in rows precisely as they had stood in their ranks a few moments before. Despite the great Union numerical advantage, Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jacksons Confederate forces hold their ground near the Dunker Church. Lincoln has been waiting for a military success to issue his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Military historians consider the Battle of Antietam a stalemate. He recorded the hand-hewn grave markers and headstones bearing names of a few of the fallen, created in Antietam's immediate aftermath by friends and brothers. Union Advance 8. It was obvious to the Union veterans that the area had recently served as a Rebel bivouac. Our first stop is D. R. Miller's farm, around which swirled fighting in the bloody Cornfield By David A. Welker One of the most enjoyable moments when researching history comes in finding something new, even when that thing is quite old. The terrain was dotted by farmsteads, pastures, and cornfields, separated here and there by rail fences. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Lee detailed his complex plan in Special Orders No. It was never my fortune to witness a more bloody, dismal battlefield. On September 14, at the base of South Mountain near Sharpsburg, Confederate Generals D.H. Hills and James Longstreets units encountered Union resistance and sustained heavy casualties. Hays' Louisiana Brigade suffered over 60-percent casualties in 30 minutes. Colquitt lost 100 casualties in an already understrength brigade, while Rodes faced two full Federal divisions, Brig. Monday marks the 150th . The Army of the Potomac began to concentrate that night, but during the following day McClellan declined to make a decisive move. It was finalized on the afternoon of the 16th, a full day after McClellan had arrived on the scene. At that moment it must have entered the minds of the men of the 1st Texas that it might just be possible to break the Yankees hold on this spot, if only they could reach it in time By David A. Welker The Continue reading The 1st Texas Infantry in the Cornfield: Slipping theBridle, You may have heard the story of Werner Von Bachelle and his beloved dog, who shared their lives and met their respective fates in Antietams Cornfield. Greenes 2nd Brigade, under Colonel Henry J. Stainrook, reached the Smoketown Road and unhinged the Confederate right flank. What they didnt understand was just how important holding this place was for a Confederate victory at Antietam, For Gods sake, come and help us out! begged the new head of Hartsuffs Brigade and without a pause, Colonel Lyle had the 90th Pennsylvania marching forward into the swirling inferno of Antietams Cornfield. The first Confederate invasion of Union-held territory is not going as planned. The little hillock would be his objective for the morning attack. After Burnsides troops finally took the bridge and had the Confederate right flank in sight, Confederate reinforcements arrived and pushed them back. The situation was not as promising as Hooker had hoped. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! Its commander, Colonel Hugh McNeil, was killed along with five others, and 20 were wounded. At the end of August, Lees Army of Northern Virginia routed another Union army, under Maj. Gen. John Pope, at the Second Battle of Bull Run. Hoods men threw down half-eaten biscuits and stuffed bacon into their mouths as they rushed to fill the gap. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Late that evening and on September 19, after realizing that no further attacks are coming from McClellan, Lee withdraws from the battlefield and slips back across the Potomac into Virginia. The number increased, and larger and larger grew the field of the blue until it seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, and from the tops of the mountains down to the edges of the stream gathered the great army of . Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. Civil War Trust.The Peninsula Campaign. Gen. George G. Meade on his left. Lee accompanied Longstreets columns across Antietam Creek, a tributary of the Potomac, heading toward the village of Sharpsburg. He needed a legitimatizing Union victory in the field before he could issue the proclamation. An original regiment in the storied "Iron Brigade," the 19th Indiana is perhaps best known for its role during the opening hours of the Battle of Gettysburg, which has for too long overshadowed its actions in Antietam's deadly Cornfield Featured The Cornfield Casualty Top Ten Featured / 5 Comments If successful in Maryland, the army might venture into Pennsylvania, destroy the vital Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge across the Susquehanna River, and threaten the state capital of Harrisburg. On the afternoon of September 16, Union general George B. McClellan sets his army in motion, sending Maj. Gen. Joseph Hookers First Corps across Antietam Creek to find Lees left flank. The Iron Brigade headed down the turnpike and into the northwest corner of the cornfield, while Duryea struck toward the East Woods and the cornfields southern edge. I feel Gen. M. should have no problem.. 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