Antietam
Almost back home in Jersey from my super-long road trip through the South, I spent the night in Winchester Virginia, and the next day arrived at the Antietam National Battlefield Park at about 6:30 AM. I was the only person there, other than a few park rangers doing maintenance work.
Antietam was the bloodiest single day of conflict in American history, with 23,0000 people killed on September 17th, 1862.
General Lee wanted to bring the war to the north, and possibly break the will of the Union to fight, as well as to relieve Union pressure on the Confederate capital of Richmond- so he decided to mount the first Confederate invasion of the North. The Army of Northern Virginia moved across the Potomac river and headed north, threatening to encircle Washington.
General McClellan and his 87,000 strong Army of the Potomac confronted General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, with 45,000 soldiers, near the town of Sharpsburg, along the Antietam Creek.
Monuments outside the Antietam visitor's center
After some skirmishing on the 16th, Action began at dawn on the 17th, Near a German Baptist church.
Elements of Hooker's first corps (Pennsylvania Infantry, Vermont Sharpshooters, and New Jersey Artillery) advanced across an open cornfield at 6:30 AM (the same time of day I was there), opposed by Stonewall Jackson with 7700 men from Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and Georgia.
The action quickly turned into a stalemate,with musket and grapeshot literally mowing down corn and men. According to witnesses, not a single stalk off corn remained after the battle, all having been "cut down as with a scythe." Starke, commanding CSA artillery, was the first of the six generals to die during Antietam.
Jackson's men were eventually dislodged by a flank attack of the "Iron Brigade", from the Ohio Valley, at hideous cost. During this action, the Texas Brigade suffered a casualty rate of 82.3%.
The Cornfield, as seen from Jackson's position. Union troops advanced directly across this field against Confederate artillery
Artillery at the cornfield, dawn
monument to a Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment
Vermont Sharpshooters
14th Brooklyn Infantry Monument
New Jersey Artillery Monument
Texas Monument
"The Bloody Lane"
Approaches to the confederate center
At mid day the action shifted from the confederate left (the cornfield) to the confederate center.
Union Artillery facing the Confederate center
Here, New Hampshire Infantry and the "Irish Brigade" assaulted D.H. Hill's division, who had entrenched a sunken lane. So many bodies filled the ditch that, by the end of the action, it was essentially "filled in" with corpses.
the fortified depression, and the field over which Union infantry advanced. This was the worst fighting of the day
The first Union assault on the bloody lane failed, and General Lee rushed up reinforcements to bolster Hill. At one point, it seemed as if the Confederates were about to flank the Federals, but a desperate counterattack by the 5th New Hanpshire pushed them back. The confederate line broke, and it seemed as if the Army of Northern Virginia was about to be split in half, when General Longstreet directed his artillery to hammer the advancing 5th New Hampshire.
"Burnside's Bridge"
The last major action of the day took place on the southern edge of the battlefield. After three failed assaults, General Burnside's 51st New York and 51st Pennsylvania stormed a Bridge across Antietam creek, bumping into two Georgia divisions, which had been weakened in order to reinforce the center. They had been promised their Whiskey ration should they take the bridge.
After taking the bridge, Burnside's men stormed the opposite heights and drove Toomb's Georgia divisions off. (The Georgians were in the process of pulling back at the time). At this point it seemed as if Burnside could cut off the Army of Northern Virginia's only escape route. Only the sudden arrival of Confederate General A.P. Hill to the south of Antietam with a light division (including three Tennessee regiments) stalled Burnside's advance and saved the Confederate army.
As Darkness fell, the opposing forces disengaged and Lee began withdrawing the Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac river. Thus ended the first confederate invasion of the North. The second invasion, the next July, would also fail, ended at Gettysberg.
Almost back home in Jersey from my super-long road trip through the South, I spent the night in Winchester Virginia, and the next day arrived at the Antietam National Battlefield Park at about 6:30 AM. I was the only person there, other than a few park rangers doing maintenance work.
Antietam was the bloodiest single day of conflict in American history, with 23,0000 people killed on September 17th, 1862.
General Lee wanted to bring the war to the north, and possibly break the will of the Union to fight, as well as to relieve Union pressure on the Confederate capital of Richmond- so he decided to mount the first Confederate invasion of the North. The Army of Northern Virginia moved across the Potomac river and headed north, threatening to encircle Washington.
General McClellan and his 87,000 strong Army of the Potomac confronted General Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, with 45,000 soldiers, near the town of Sharpsburg, along the Antietam Creek.
Monuments outside the Antietam visitor's center
After some skirmishing on the 16th, Action began at dawn on the 17th, Near a German Baptist church.
Elements of Hooker's first corps (Pennsylvania Infantry, Vermont Sharpshooters, and New Jersey Artillery) advanced across an open cornfield at 6:30 AM (the same time of day I was there), opposed by Stonewall Jackson with 7700 men from Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and Georgia.
The action quickly turned into a stalemate,with musket and grapeshot literally mowing down corn and men. According to witnesses, not a single stalk off corn remained after the battle, all having been "cut down as with a scythe." Starke, commanding CSA artillery, was the first of the six generals to die during Antietam.
Jackson's men were eventually dislodged by a flank attack of the "Iron Brigade", from the Ohio Valley, at hideous cost. During this action, the Texas Brigade suffered a casualty rate of 82.3%.
The Cornfield, as seen from Jackson's position. Union troops advanced directly across this field against Confederate artillery
Artillery at the cornfield, dawn
monument to a Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment
Vermont Sharpshooters
14th Brooklyn Infantry Monument
New Jersey Artillery Monument
Texas Monument
"The Bloody Lane"
Approaches to the confederate center
At mid day the action shifted from the confederate left (the cornfield) to the confederate center.
Union Artillery facing the Confederate center
Here, New Hampshire Infantry and the "Irish Brigade" assaulted D.H. Hill's division, who had entrenched a sunken lane. So many bodies filled the ditch that, by the end of the action, it was essentially "filled in" with corpses.
the fortified depression, and the field over which Union infantry advanced. This was the worst fighting of the day
The first Union assault on the bloody lane failed, and General Lee rushed up reinforcements to bolster Hill. At one point, it seemed as if the Confederates were about to flank the Federals, but a desperate counterattack by the 5th New Hanpshire pushed them back. The confederate line broke, and it seemed as if the Army of Northern Virginia was about to be split in half, when General Longstreet directed his artillery to hammer the advancing 5th New Hampshire.
"Burnside's Bridge"
The last major action of the day took place on the southern edge of the battlefield. After three failed assaults, General Burnside's 51st New York and 51st Pennsylvania stormed a Bridge across Antietam creek, bumping into two Georgia divisions, which had been weakened in order to reinforce the center. They had been promised their Whiskey ration should they take the bridge.
After taking the bridge, Burnside's men stormed the opposite heights and drove Toomb's Georgia divisions off. (The Georgians were in the process of pulling back at the time). At this point it seemed as if Burnside could cut off the Army of Northern Virginia's only escape route. Only the sudden arrival of Confederate General A.P. Hill to the south of Antietam with a light division (including three Tennessee regiments) stalled Burnside's advance and saved the Confederate army.
As Darkness fell, the opposing forces disengaged and Lee began withdrawing the Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac river. Thus ended the first confederate invasion of the North. The second invasion, the next July, would also fail, ended at Gettysberg.
posted by Justiceiro at 4:55 AM
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