Antietam Battle Field, Sharpsburg MD.

On Thursday 11/11, veterans day, we visited one of the iconic battlefields of the American Civil War. We spend about 6 hrs on a self guided tour of each sector of the battlefield. The battlefield is preserved in such a way that it looks very much like it did on that day in 1862.

A little context. In the summer of 1862 the American Civil War was in its second year. The confederates where enjoying success in the eastern theater. After the peninsula campaign waged by Union General George McClellan, confederate general Joseph Johnson suffered a wound and was relieved of command by the confederate government. His replacement General Robert E. Lee had taken a more aggressive approach resulting in victories during the 7 days campaign. Following these battles that moved the Union Army of the Potomac from the doorstep of Richmond, VA - the confederate capitol, Lee continued his hard fought initiative by defeating the Union army at the second battle of Manassas. Fast forward a couple weeks and Lee scripted his first northern invasion in what was later called the "Maryland Campaign". The MC (Maryland Campaign) lasted only 12 days and included Confederate victories at Harpers Ferry, where an entire Union core surrendered and at Shepardstown MD, where Union forces followed the retreating confederates and were caught crossing the potomac river by rearguard forces and suffered heavy casualties. But, in between these engagements, a little single day battle was fought near sharpsburg MD, around the Antietam creek.

This battle consisted of approx. 40000 confederates and between 65,000 - 80000 federalist. Union General George McClellan. We may never know the full confederate plan because their orders, infamously known as order 193, fully detailing the start of the confederate plan for the Maryland Invasion were lost, then found by Union soldiers and shared with its command. With full knowledge of where the divided confederate army was, McClellan moved his army of the Potomac with unusual speed in pursuit.

Once Lee found out that his orders were in the hands of the federals, he moved quickly to consolidate his divided army and to find a suitable defensive position. Lees engineers found high ground north of Sharpsburg just to the west of a creek that extended the entire position called Antietam. This was favorable ground because of the natural defenses of the high ground, swails across the hills for concealment , open fields for visibility thick woods to protect the flanks and a creek wide enough to discourage a direct crossing and instead forcing the enemy to use bridges.

That's the stage. 40000 confederates setting up on high ground surrounded by natural defenses, entrenching and waiting for the superior force of the Union army to come to them.

One final benefit that Robert E Lee enjoyed was General McClellan's hesitancy to strike quickly. McClellan took 2 days after discovering the divided enemy to his front to attach. McClellan wanted time to prepare his forces and to recon the confederate position. This delay was very costly to union success that could have been, allowing the confederates to build breastworks and other fortifications and to deploy troops to preferred places.

At 5:30 am on the morning of September 17th, General McClellan sent 2 core of his army, 20,000 men forward to assault the left flank of the confederate line defended by Stonewall Jacksons core. The federals tried to get around the left flank of the defenders but found the end of the confederate battle line anchored to very think woods which served the defenders well. T

his part of the field was highlighted by a small white building called the Dunker Church and was a visual for the federals on the northern end of the battlefield. Also on this part of the field was a large fully grown cornfield that also provided confederate concealment. As the federal armies pushed forward that morning, some of the fiercest fighting of the day occurred. 5 times the armies attached and counter attached losing and retaking control of this area around the cornfield, the woods and the Dunker church. Standing along this defensive line anchored to the woods, it was easy to feel how this position was a good one to defend. The ground rolled with hills and swails, providing the defenders with good visibility and concealment. The same surrounding hills offered both armies strong positions to set up artillery and devastate the engaged men in the area.

The center of the confederate battle line was anchored around a sunken road that became know as the bloody lane. It was defended by about 2500 confederates over about a 1/2 mile line. The ground there was a good defensive position as it had sunk over the years due to local wagons using it for transportation between neighboring towns. The defenders built up wooden barriers at the top of the east side of the lane where they would have concealment from advancing union soldiers. About 1 pm, orders were given by union command to move forward and assault the confederate center. Wave after wave of union soldiers attached this formidable defensive line and were cut down by the hundreds. Finally union numbers came to bear and the defending confederates were forced to abandon this position. Approx. 10,000 men were killed or wounded or captured over this small piece of real estate in the center of the battleline. Union forces of the Corps involved were too devestated to take advantage of the gain and failed to exploit the opportunity to cut Lees army in half.

Finally, we went to the southern end of the battlefield to see Burnside's Bridge, as it became known after the battle. This portion of the battlefield was the extreme right flank of Lees battleline and was thinly held by the confederates because Lee had pulled men from this area of the battlefield earlier in the day to meet challenges in both the north and center of the battleline. Union General Ambrose Burnside with his entire core of 10,000 was ordered by McClellan to assault the conferderate right flank. This required him to get his army across the Antietam creek. The creek is pretty wide, I would say 70 - 100 feet. the water was moving decently on the day we were there and was probably 3-4 feet deep. Also the banks on either side made it difficult I suppose to try to cross men through the creek.