Information About the Battle of Antietam
Lee brought his men together behind Antietam Creek at Sharpsburg, and was in a precarious position with the Potomac at his back and only one ford to the southwest as an escape route. On September 15, when the lead Union divisions were sighted, Lee only had 18,000 men at Sharpsburg. Again moving slowly, McClellan did not begin probing the Confederate lines until late on the 16th. This delay allowed Lee to bring his army together, though some units were still en route. McClellan decided to open the battle by attacking from the north as this would allow his men to cross the creek at the undefended upper bridge.
Ambrose Burnside's IX Corps diversionary attack supported this attack against the lower bridge south of Sharpsburg. Should the assaults proved successful, McClellan intended to attack with his reserves over the middle bridge against the Confederate center. Union intentions became clear on the evening of September 16, when Joseph Hooker's I Corps skirmished with Lee's men in the East Woods north of town. As a result, Lee, who had placed Jackson's men on his left and James Longstreet's on the right, shifted troops to meet the anticipated threat.
Around 5:30 AM on September 17, Hooker attacked down the Hagerstown Turnpike with the goal of capturing the Dunker Church, a small building on a plateau to the south. Encountering Jackson's men, brutal fighting began in the Miller Cornfield and the East Woods. An impasse ensued as the outnumbered Confederates held and mounted effective counterattacks. Abner Doubleday's division added to the fight, Hooker's troops began to push the enemy back. With Jackson's line near collapse, reinforcements arrived around 7:00 AM as Lee stripped his lines elsewhere of men.
Counterattacking, they drove Hooker back and the Union troops were forced to cede the Cornfield and West Woods. Badly bloodied, Hooker called for aid from Major General Joseph K. Mansfield's XII Corps. Advancing in columns of companies, XII Corps was hammered by Confederate artillery during their approach and Mansfield was mortally wounded by a sniper. With Brigadier General Alpheus Williams in command, XII Corps renewed the assault. While one division was halted by enemy fire, Brigadier General George S. Greene's men were able to break through and reach the Dunker Church.
While Greene's men came under heavy fire from the West Woods, Hooker was wounded as he tried to rally men to exploit the success. With no support arriving, Greene was forced to pull back. In an effort to force the situation above Sharpsburg, Edwin V. Sumner was directed to contribute two divisions from his II Corps to the fight. Advancing with John Sedgwick's division, Sumner lost contact with Brigadier General William French's division before leading a rash attack into the West Woods. Quickly taken under fire on three sides, Sedgwick's men were forced to retreat.
In the south, Burnside, angered by command rearrangements, did not begin moving until around 10:30 AM. As a result, many of the Confederate troops that had originally been facing him were withdrawn to block the other Union attacks. Tasked with crossing the Antietam to support Hooker's actions, Burnside was in position to cut off Lee's retreat route to Boteler's Ford. Ignoring the fact that the creek was fordable at several points, he focused on taking Rohrbach's Bridge while dispatching additional troops downstream to Snavely's Ford.
Defended by 400 men and two artillery batteries atop a bluff on the western shore, the bridge became Burnside's fixation as repeated attempts to storm it failed. Finally taken around 1:00 PM, the bridge became a bottleneck which slowed Burnside advance for two hours. The repeated delays permitted Lee to shift troops south to meet the threat. They were supported by the arrival of Major General A.P. Hill's division from Harpers Ferry. Attacking Burnside, they shattered his flank. Though possessing greater numbers, Burnside lost his nerve and fell back to the bridge. By 5:30 PM, the fighting had ended.
The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day in American military history. Union losses numbered 2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, and 753 captured/missing while the Confederates suffered 1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, and 1,018 captured/missing. The next day Lee prepared for another Union attack, but McClellan, still believing he was out-numbered did nothing. Eager to escape, Lee crossed the Potomac back into Virginia. A strategic victory, Antietam allowed Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves in Confederate territory. Remaining idle at Antietam until late October, despite requests from the War Department to pursue Lee, McClellan was removed from command on November 5 and replaced by Burnside two days later.
(http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/civilwarintheeast/p/antietam.htm)
Ambrose Burnside's IX Corps diversionary attack supported this attack against the lower bridge south of Sharpsburg. Should the assaults proved successful, McClellan intended to attack with his reserves over the middle bridge against the Confederate center. Union intentions became clear on the evening of September 16, when Joseph Hooker's I Corps skirmished with Lee's men in the East Woods north of town. As a result, Lee, who had placed Jackson's men on his left and James Longstreet's on the right, shifted troops to meet the anticipated threat.
Around 5:30 AM on September 17, Hooker attacked down the Hagerstown Turnpike with the goal of capturing the Dunker Church, a small building on a plateau to the south. Encountering Jackson's men, brutal fighting began in the Miller Cornfield and the East Woods. An impasse ensued as the outnumbered Confederates held and mounted effective counterattacks. Abner Doubleday's division added to the fight, Hooker's troops began to push the enemy back. With Jackson's line near collapse, reinforcements arrived around 7:00 AM as Lee stripped his lines elsewhere of men.
Counterattacking, they drove Hooker back and the Union troops were forced to cede the Cornfield and West Woods. Badly bloodied, Hooker called for aid from Major General Joseph K. Mansfield's XII Corps. Advancing in columns of companies, XII Corps was hammered by Confederate artillery during their approach and Mansfield was mortally wounded by a sniper. With Brigadier General Alpheus Williams in command, XII Corps renewed the assault. While one division was halted by enemy fire, Brigadier General George S. Greene's men were able to break through and reach the Dunker Church.
While Greene's men came under heavy fire from the West Woods, Hooker was wounded as he tried to rally men to exploit the success. With no support arriving, Greene was forced to pull back. In an effort to force the situation above Sharpsburg, Edwin V. Sumner was directed to contribute two divisions from his II Corps to the fight. Advancing with John Sedgwick's division, Sumner lost contact with Brigadier General William French's division before leading a rash attack into the West Woods. Quickly taken under fire on three sides, Sedgwick's men were forced to retreat.
In the south, Burnside, angered by command rearrangements, did not begin moving until around 10:30 AM. As a result, many of the Confederate troops that had originally been facing him were withdrawn to block the other Union attacks. Tasked with crossing the Antietam to support Hooker's actions, Burnside was in position to cut off Lee's retreat route to Boteler's Ford. Ignoring the fact that the creek was fordable at several points, he focused on taking Rohrbach's Bridge while dispatching additional troops downstream to Snavely's Ford.
Defended by 400 men and two artillery batteries atop a bluff on the western shore, the bridge became Burnside's fixation as repeated attempts to storm it failed. Finally taken around 1:00 PM, the bridge became a bottleneck which slowed Burnside advance for two hours. The repeated delays permitted Lee to shift troops south to meet the threat. They were supported by the arrival of Major General A.P. Hill's division from Harpers Ferry. Attacking Burnside, they shattered his flank. Though possessing greater numbers, Burnside lost his nerve and fell back to the bridge. By 5:30 PM, the fighting had ended.
The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day in American military history. Union losses numbered 2,108 killed, 9,540 wounded, and 753 captured/missing while the Confederates suffered 1,546 killed, 7,752 wounded, and 1,018 captured/missing. The next day Lee prepared for another Union attack, but McClellan, still believing he was out-numbered did nothing. Eager to escape, Lee crossed the Potomac back into Virginia. A strategic victory, Antietam allowed Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation which freed slaves in Confederate territory. Remaining idle at Antietam until late October, despite requests from the War Department to pursue Lee, McClellan was removed from command on November 5 and replaced by Burnside two days later.
(http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/civilwarintheeast/p/antietam.htm)