The next day, as Lee began the painstaking job of moving his ravaged troops back to Virginia, McClellan, surprisingly, did nothing. 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. The 12th Massachusetts had 224 of its 334 soldiers shot down, a casualty rate of 67 percent that was the highest of any Union regiment on the field. There are more than 22,000 casualties at the Battle of Antietam. Miller's 30-acre cornfield at Antietam. The Union troops were thrown back as Wofford rolled into the western portion of the cornfield and Law struck to the east. Buy new: $40.64. Two divisions under Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws were to approach the arsenal from the north and seize the commanding position of Maryland Heights. James Dougherty, 128th Pennsylvania Infantry, wounded in the Cornfield. Instead, Lee ordered his army to regroup at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg. Hills division charges into battle after a long march from Harpers Ferry, helping drive back the assault and saving the day for the Army of Northern Virginia. Hood, a Kentuckian, commanded a full division including his old brigade of the 1st, 4th, and 5th Texas, the 18th Georgia, Brig. 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. Brigadier General David Ricketts 2nd Division, led by Brig. : The Sorry Story of Colonel WilliamChristian, The 90th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Cornfield: Solitary and alone, we gave and took ourmedicine, The 1st Texas Infantry in the Cornfield: Slipping theBridle, Captain Von Bachelle and his canine friend sacrifice all in theCornfield, Elliotts Antietam Burial Map: New Revelations About the CornfieldsToll, Tigers in the Cornfield: Hays Louisiana Brigade atAntietam, The 105th New York in Antietams Cornfield: The High Price ofAchievement, The 6th Georgia in the Cornfield: Squeezed by a DeadlyVice, The 19th Indiana in Antietams Cornfield: The command is no longer forward, but now it is followme!, The 1st Georgia Regulars and 1st Minnesota Infantry at Antietam: A Kindness in theCornfield, The 2nd Massachusetts in the Cornfield: Robert Gould Shaws Command Baptism byFire, New Old Views of the Miller Farm and Antietams Cornfield, The 5th Virginias Private Ezra Stickley: Irony in theCornfield, John Cook: An Ohio boy comes of age in AntietamsCornfield, The 21st Georgia: An Unexpected Mission in Antietams EastWoods, The 97th New York Infantry in theCornfield. Hood, however, was unable to consolidate his gains. West Woods 6. Captain James Rodgers, commanding the 12 th, was struck dead by bullets that hit his hand, thigh, and head. The Union and Confederates fought in the cornfield, many being wounded. As the Union troops came into view, more enemy guns under Colonel Stephen D. Lee, sited on the high ground opposite the Dunker Church, hit the attackers in their front. The ordeal on the Confederate left was not yet over. This further isolated the Confederacy and made it harder for them to re-supply their troops and citizens. But even this firestorm of controversy couldnt prepare Jones for what awaited him when his postwar indiscretions became known. The North Woods stretched across the farmland of Joseph Poffenberger. Donations to the Trust are tax deductible to the full extent allowable under the law. Lincoln hoped against hope that McClellan would finally bring Lee to decisive battle and destroy the Army of Northern Virginia once and for all. The fight began to peter out with the gathering darkness. Just then, an enemy sharpshooter put a bullet through Hookers foot, which bled profusely. And when Lee heard a copy of Special Order 191 was missing, he knew his scattered army was vulnerable and rushed to reunite its units. It was one of those marvelous flights that beggar explanation or description.. Union Advance 8. During the course of the morning, the cornfield, a space 250 yards long and 400 yards wide, changed hands 15 times. 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 For more than three hours, fewer than 500 Confederate soldiers held Lower Bridge against multiple assaults by Union General Ambrose Burnsides Ninth Corps. All of Lees troops were worn-out and hungry, and many were sick. Im glad that the map correctly shows the Dunkard Church, after that particular sect of German Baptists. He also counted on McClellan to move slowly, which he did. Send forward officers to explore the way, ascertain the best crossing of the Potomac.. Gen. Mansfield was mortally wounded and Gen. Alpheus Williams took command of the Corps. 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. 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. 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. Their fire was devastating. After the Confederates abandoned their campsite around Frederick, McClellans army moved in. Dunker Church 2. Colquitt lost 100 casualties in an already understrength brigade, while Rodes faced two full Federal divisions, Brig. One soldier of the 6th Wisconsin captured the essence of that horrific morning. McClellans plan of attack depended on coordination and timing all along the line. Jackson in turn detailed Maj. Gen. A.P. Meanwhile, towards the center of the battlefield, Union assaults against the Sunken Road pierce the Confederate center after a terrible struggle for this key defensive position. Lee wrote to McLaws: The day has gone against us and this army will go by Sharpsburg and cross the river. Meanwhile, on September 2, McClellan retook command of the army to the cheers of his men. Moving due east, Brig. After a Union victory at the Battle of South Mountain and a Confederate victory at the Battle of Harpers Ferry, Confederate general Robert E. Lee opts to make one last stand in the hopes of salvaging his Maryland Campaign. He believed McClellan spent too much of his command drilling troops and little of it pursuing Lee. But after several unexpected and demoralizing Union losses, including Major General John Popes sound defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run, it became clear the Confederacy wasnt going to be easy to crush. On the Confederate left, two brigades under Brig. Antietam | Cornfield | Sep 17, 1862 | 8:00 - 8:30 am (November 2021) [PDF] 580.63 KB Preserve 128 sacred acres at Antietam and Shepherdstown We can add 6 additional acres to the 130-year-old Antietam Battlefield site and preserve 122 acres of nearly-pristine land at Shepherdstown all part. Ricketts remaining two brigades, under Colonel William A. Christian and Brig. Federal Identification Number (EIN): 54-1426643. Meanwhile, Lee counted on McClellans lack of aggressiveness. 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. Mansfield spluttered, Yes, yes, you are right. Precisely at that moment a bullet hit the 58-year-old general squarely in the chest. Mumma Farm and Cemetery 7. Apparently it never reached the general. . 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. Unable to remain in command, he left the scene convinced that Union forces were poised to drive the Confederates into the Potomac. The Louisiana Tigers were reduced to fewer than 200 men after sending 500 into the battle. We had expended every bandage, tore up every sheet in the house, and everything we could find, when who should drive up but our old friend, Miss Barton, with a team loaded down with dressings of every kind, and everything we could ask for. The Confederates lost one of their most promising brigade commanders, Brig. On September 15, Lee positions his men behind the creek and waits for McClellan to arrive. Hays' Louisiana Brigade suffered over 60-percent casualties in 30 minutes. The avalanche of Union troops pushed Rodes steadily back and cost him more than one-third of his command. Simultaneously, the hostile battle lines opened a tremendous fire upon each other. 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 single, bloodiest day in American History had begun in earnest. After he failed to attack Lees depleted troops as they fled Sharpsburg on September 18, he wrote to his wife, Ellen, that, ''those in whose judgment I rely tell me that I fought the battle splendidly & that it was a masterpiece of art.'' 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." The next day, the Army of Northern Virginia set out from Frederick. This 24-acre cornfield, owned by D.R. Brig. I lived there as a child and these were the fields we played in before they became National Park Service protectorates, the mid-1950s. 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. 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. McClellans 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 generals timidity and excuses. Fewer know about the films opening scenes, which take Captain Shaw and the 2nd Massachusetts into the horror of the Cornfield. Despite heavy losses and tenacious resistance, Doubleday had driven deeply into Jacksons line. Miller's Cornfield (usually referred to as 'the Cornfield') is a section of the Antietam battlefield of the American Civil War. 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. The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point tells for the first time the full story of the exciting struggle to control "the Cornfield," the action on which the costly battle of Antietam turned, in a thorough yet readable narrative. Duryeas men fought valiantly, pressing the Georgians hard. One of my ancestors, Robert W. Austin of . Ricketts division was knocked out of the battle with 30 percent casualties, and it fell to Meade to patch a defensive line together. more information on current conditions Visit our keyboard shortcuts docs for details. The situation was not as promising as Hooker had hoped. After chasing Confederate skirmishers off the Miller farm, Gibbons men headed for the northwest corner of the cornfield and began taking fire from Douglass troops and the Stonewall Brigade posted in the West Woods. The decimated survivors retreated in disorder, leaving behind 2,200 killed and wounded. Western Maryland did not rally to the Stars and Bars. September 17. Following the debacle at Second Bull Run, Lincoln turned again to McClellan, whose extreme timidity in the field was contrasted with his superb organizational skills and the enduring confidence of his men. His division had suffered 1,380 dead and wounded, about 60 percent of its strength, and was forced to withdraw to the West Woods. The Battle of Antietam, America's bloodiest single day, immediately claimed 3,654 lives and generated an additional 8,772 wounded and missing casualties on both sides, many of whom should properly be moved to the "killed" category. Major Rufus Dawes took command, pushing to a rail fence and engaging in a heated fight with Georgia troops south of the cornfield. General James Longstreet "On the forenoon of the 15th, the blue uniforms of the Federals appeared among the trees that crowned the heights on the eastern bank of the Antietam. But Antietam eclipses even this modern tragedy as America's single bloodiest day, on which 22,000 men became casualties in a war to determine our nation's future. The water is deep, swift, and crossable only at three stone bridges, making it a natural defensible location. Civil War Trust.The Peninsula Campaign. He retrieved an envelope that contained three cigars wrapped around the copy of Special Orders No. After McClellan fails to pursue Lee on his retreat south, Lincoln loses faith in his general. Had Franklin overwhelmed McLaws and marched hard for Harpers Ferry, he might have lifted the siege and checked any subsequent movement by Jackson. Donate Now As he was carried to the rear, Reno yelled to Brig. Lee prodded Jackson and McLaws to wrap up their work at Harpers Ferry. Lost Order, Lost Cause. The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point tells the story of what happened in David Miller's once-peaceful farm field on 17 September 1862, which opened the Civil War Battle of Antietam - America's single bloodiest day. 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. Firing canister at point-blank range, Union artillery raked the attackers. 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. Tyndales men charged into the cornfield, and several minutes of hand-to-hand fighting ensued before the Confederates began withdrawing toward the West Woods. Libby remembered a loud response from the Maine men to the contrary. National Park Service pamphlet The Cornfield Trail - September Harvest of Death, pp. Duryeas brigade followed Seymour out of the East Woods and into the cornfield, stepping over mangled Confederate corpses that canister shots had killed moments earlier. His opponent, Abraham Lincoln, was reelected for another term. Gen. D.R. This article appears in: Early Fall 2014 By Michael E. Haskew The White House was a somber place in the summer of 1862. Not only did the Battle of Antietam change the course of the Civil War, it also brought to light the horror of war in a way never seen before, thanks to photographer Alexander Gardners dramatic battlefield photographs. President Lincoln, however, wasnt pleased. Halt, 102nd, he ordered. Gathering up his gearEzra discovered hed misplaced the right glove of his newly-purchased pair, a loss that troubled him considerably. Stonewall Jackson, Maj. Gen. D.H. Hills division was to follow Longstreet as the armys rear guard. Greenes two brigades were within 200 yards of the Dunker Church, where they halted and watched the West Woods swarm with Confederates. The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Within the limits of this Army, at least, Marylanders shall once more enjoy their ancient freedom of thought and speech. Hill worked feverishly to extricate his battered brigades, while the 102nd New York Regiment drove relentlessly toward the high ground around the Dunker Church, where Colonel Lees artillerymen were doing their best to limber their guns and retire. Maryland was a border state and remained in the Union, but Lee believed that large numbers of Southern sympathizers would rally to his ranks once the Army of Northern Virginia entered the state. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.The Battle of Antietam. Rifles are shot to pieces in the hands of the soldiers, canteens and haversacks are riddled by bullets, the dead and wounded go down in scores, he wrote. He tended to details while three of Jacksons footsore divisions began trickling into the vicinity. Prominent in Hoods defensive area was a plain, whitewashed church belonging to the German Baptist Brethren, a Christian sect that shunned anything ostentatious, including church steeples, and believed in baptism by full immersion. (2) At 7:00 a.m., Gen. John Bell Hoods Confederate Division of approximately 2,000 men was waiting behind the Dunker Church. Theyd remained on the sidelines so far, but as they endured cotton shortages and the south seemed to gain the upper hand, they considered legitimizing the Confederacy, a move with potentially drastic implications. The remainder of the Army of Northern Virginia, divided into three separate commands, would converge on Harpers Ferry and compel the garrison to surrender. 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