A counterattack by regiments from the Kanawha Division fell short. James Hope of the 2nd Vermont Infantry, a professional artist, painted five large murals based on battlefield scenes he had sketched during the Battle of Antietam. Gen. Truman Seymour, began advancing through the East Woods and exchanged fire with Col. James Walker's brigade of Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina troops. Union return fire was from nine batteries on the ridge behind the North Woods and twenty 20-pounder Parrott rifles, 2 miles (3 km) east of Antietam Creek. [28] Abner Doubleday's division moved on Hooker's right, James Ricketts's moved on the left into the East Woods, and George Meade's Pennsylvania Reserves division deployed in the center and slightly to the rear. I was in the hospital in the afternoon, for it was then only that the wounded began to come in. [19], Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac, bolstered by units absorbed from John Pope's Army of Virginia, included six infantry corps.[20][21]. The battlefield was transferred to the Department of the Interior in 1933. Lightfoot ordered his men to about-face and march away, an order that all five regiments of the brigade thought applied to them as well. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. Confederate States presidential election of 1861, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Antietam&oldid=1000415473, Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, Battles of the American Civil War in Maryland, Union victories of the American Civil War, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Kalasky, Robert. At 3:40 p.m., Brig. Gen. Lee used this time to bolster his right flank. Also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, it was the first major battle of the American Civil War to be fought on Union soil. [72], The Federals were completely unaware that 3,000 new men would be facing them. The results of Antietam also allowed President Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, which gave Confederate states until January 1, 1863, to return or else lose their slaves. Herald Mail, Sept. 30, 2015. The Union victory and Lincoln's proclamation played a considerable role in dissuading the governments of France and Britain from recognizing the Confederacy; some suspected they were planning to do so in the aftermath of another Union defeat. Near the town of Sharpsburg, Lee deployed his available forces behind Antietam Creek along a low ridge, starting on September 15. With the full commitment of McClellan’s troops, which outnumbered the Confederates two to one, the battle might have had a more definitive outcome. Joseph K. Mansfield and Israel B. Richardson and Brig. But with Hooker removed from the field, there was no general left with the authority to rally the men of the I and XII Corps. [60], Location: Southern end of the battlefield. When asked by a fellow officer where his division was, Hood replied, "Dead on the field."[38]. In an effort to turn the Confederate left flank and relieve the pressure on Mansfield's men, Sumner's II Corps was ordered at 7:20 a.m. to send two divisions into battle. ...the most deadly fire of the war. The Battle of Antietam was featured at the beginning of the film Glory (1989), directed by Edward Zwick and starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman. However, Porter is said to have told McClellan, "Remember, General, I command the last reserve of the last Army of the Republic." Tap to unmute. Gens. (Gordon received 5 serious wounds in the fight, twice in his right leg, twice in the left arm, and once in the face. Le jeu se déroule en septembre 1862, pendant la guerre de Sécession, et simule la bataille dAntietam. Federals called it a victory, Confederates a drawn battle. This contributed to his cautiousness throughout the campaign. Gen. Isaac Rodman's division struggled through thick brush trying to locate Snavely's Ford, 2 miles (3 km) downstream, intending to flank the Confederates. .In my feeble estimation, General McClellan, with all his laurels, sinks into insignificance beside the true heroine of the age, the angel of the battle field.”. Hooker's objective was the plateau on which sat the Dunker Church, a modest whitewashed building belonging to a local sect of German Baptists. He believed that McClellan's overly cautious and poorly coordinated actions in the field had forced the battle to a draw rather than a crippling Confederate defeat. The original murals were shown in a church for many years. While the Cornfield remained a bloody stalemate, Federal advances a few hundred yards to the west were more successful. Go and look at [Burnside's Bridge], and tell me if you don't think Burnside and his corps might have executed a hop, skip, and jump and landed on the other side. It is considered to be the deadliest one-day battle in the history of the United States military. In 1881 Barton founded the American Red Cross. 105–108. Site identified by Frassanito, pp. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Shopping. "Union dead...Confederate Dead'.". He survived the battle but died later in October after an amputation. As they advanced with emerald green flags snapping in the breeze, a regimental chaplain, Father William Corby, rode back and forth across the front of the formation shouting words of conditional absolution prescribed by the Roman Catholic Church for those who were about to die. Col. Barlow was severely wounded, and Richardson mortally wounded. He shifted men to his left flank and sent urgent messages to his two commanders who had not yet arrived on the battlefield: Lafayette McLaws with two divisions and A.P. The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. On September 17, 1862, two of America’s greatest armies engaged in mortal combat at the Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg). Library of Congress. It was also necessary for logistical reasons, as northern Virginia's farms had been stripped bare of food. Widely considered to be one of the most beautiful, pristine and well-preserved Civil War battlefields, Antietam is a must-see for any Civil War... Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. The Battle of Antietam has been called the bloodiest single day in American History. Site identified by Frassanito, pp. McClellan's plan was to overwhelm the enemy's left flank. Gen. Edward Ferrero. The action moved to the southern end of the battlefield. By 2 p.m., Hill's men had reached Boteler's Ford, and Hill was able to confer with the relieved Lee at 2:30, who ordered him to bring up his men to the right of Jones. His division lost about 1,000 men. [37] Hood's men bore the brunt of the fighting, however, and paid a heavy price—60% casualties—but they were able to prevent the defensive line from crumbling and held off the I Corps. It was estimated that the Cornfield changed hands no fewer than 15 times in the course of the morning. One thing is certain, they might have waded it that day without getting their waist belts wet in any place. The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest, single day battle fought on American soil. This breach of the line forced Hood and his men, outnumbered, to regroup in the West Woods, where they had started the day. The Confederate brigade withdrew after being exposed to fierce return fire from the Iron Brigade, and Starke was mortally wounded. Historian M. V. Armstrong's recent scholarship, however, has determined that Sumner did perform appropriate reconnaissance and his decision to attack where he did was justified by the information available to him.[47]. The terrain of the battlefield made it difficult for those commanders to monitor events outside of their sectors. "Field Medicine at Antietam.". In a letter to his wife, Mary, Lincoln joked, “We are about to be photographed. Summary Conveys the placement of Union and Confederate forces in Washington County, Md., around Sharpsburg during the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. Sportsbook March Madness 4:256 30sec. The creek to their front was only a minor barrier, ranging from 60 to 100 feet (18-30 m) in width, and was fordable in places and crossed by three stone bridges each a mile (1.5 … The divisions under McLaws and Richard H. Anderson arrived following a night march from Harpers Ferry. [35] They were halted by a charge of 1,150 men from Starke's brigade, leveling heavy fire from 30 yards (30 m) away. These also were pivotal moments. Battle of Antietam is considered to be a victory for the Union forces led by General George B. McClellan against the Confederate Army of General Robert E. Lee. 24–29. This allowed them to get enfilade fire into the Confederate line, turning it into a deadly trap. Copy link. The remaining 400 men—the 2nd and 20th Georgia regiments, under the command of Brig. While it was an effective defensive position, it was not an impregnable one. Just as Burnside's forces begin to collapse the Confederate right, Maj. Gen. A.P. Antietam, the deadliest one-day battle in American military history, showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army in the Eastern theater. Your tax-deductible gift will help us to preserve this irreplaceable twice-hallowed ground at Gaines' Mill and Cold Harbor — forever. Although an immediate Union attack on the morning of September 16 would have had an overwhelming advantage in numbers, McClellan's trademark caution and his belief that Lee had as many as 100,000 men at Sharpsburg caused him to delay his attack for a day. In fact, however, McClellan had two fresh corps in reserve, Porter's V and Franklin's VI, but he was too cautious, concerned he was greatly outnumbered and that a massive counterstrike by Lee was imminent. McClellan’s letters reveal his contempt for his commander-in-chief (whom he sometimes referred to as “the Gorilla”), and the historical record shows that as the war slogged on, Lincoln became increasingly frustrated with his general’s timidity and excuses. He arrived at this decision because of the configuration of bridges over the Antietam. In the afternoon, Union Maj. Gen. 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