Battle of Antietam

Antietam Battle of Antietam Sharpsburg Pictures

Other Names: Sharpsburg

Location: Washington County

Campaign: Maryland Campaign (September 1862)

Date(s): September 16-18, 1862

Principal Commanders: Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan [US]; Gen. Robert E. Lee [CS]

Forces Engaged: Armies

Estimated Casualties: 23,100 total

Description: On September 16, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan confronted Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia at Sharpsburg, Maryland. At dawn September 17, Hooker’s corps mounted a powerful assault on Lee’s left flank that began the single bloodiest day in American military history. Attacks and counterattacks swept across Miller’s cornfield and fighting swirled around the Dunker Church. Union assaults against the Sunken Road eventually pierced the Confederate center, but the Federal advantage was not followed up. Late in the day, Burnside’s corps finally got into action, crossing the stone bridge over Antietam Creek and rolling up the Confederate right. At a crucial moment, A.P. Hill’s division arrived from Harpers Ferry and counterattacked, driving back Burnside and saving the day. Although outnumbered two-to-one, Lee committed his entire force, while McClellan sent in less than three-quarters of his army, enabling Lee to fight the Federals to a standstill. During the night, both armies consolidated their lines. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to skirmish with McClellan throughout the 18th, while removing his wounded south of the river. McClellan did not renew the assaults. After dark, Lee ordered the battered Army of Northern Virginia to withdraw across the Potomac into the Shenandoah Valley.

Result(s): Inconclusive (Union strategic victory.)

"A converging storm of iron slammed into the batteries from front and flank. Wheels were smashed, men knocked down, horses sent screaming, to stay in the field was to sacrifice units needlessly." General Stephen Dill Lee at Antietam

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A total of 1,520 Medals of Honor were awarded during the American Civil War. Twenty men received Medals for their gallantry on the Battlefield at Antietam; eight of the twenty men were awarded the Medal for either capturing or saving flags.

Recommended Reading: Battle of Antietam

Six Generals Killed at Antietam

Mortuary Cannon marking the spot where a general was killed or mortally wounded.

Six (Brigadier and Major) Generals were killed or mortally wounded during the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. Of the six fallen men, three were from the Union army and three were Confederates. The spot where each of the following six generals were killed is marked by a "Mortuary Cannon," a cannon tube, muzzle down in a block of stone.

Incredibly, twelve generals were wounded during the battle - six from each side. Two other generals were killed at the Battle of South Mountain, three days earlier - one Union and one Confederate. The total for the two battles was 20 Generals killed or wounded - 10 from each side.

Brig. Gen. George B. Anderson
Born near Hillsboro, North Carolina, Anderson was 31 years old at Antietam. West Point graduate, class of 1852, his brigade of North Carolinians fought desperately in the Sunken Road. Wounded in the foot, Brig. Gen. Anderson was transported to Shepherdstown, then Staunton, Virginia and eventually to Raleigh, North Carolina were he died October 16.

Brig. Gen. Lawrence O'Brian Branch
Branch was born in Enfield, North Carolina in 1820. He graduated from Princeton in 1838, studied law and served in Congress from 1855 until 1861. Branch commanded a brigade attached to A.P. Hill's Division who made the grueling 17 mile march to the battlefield from Harpers Ferry on the day of the battle. Arriving on the south end of the battlefield, Branch and the other brigades of Hill's division helped turn back Burnside's attack at the end of the day. Like George Anderson, Branch was also buried in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Maj. Gen. Joseph K. F. Mansfield
Joseph King Fenno Mansfield was one of the oldest officers on the field at age 59. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Mansfield graduated from West Point in 1822. A professional soldier, he served in the Army for forty years, including service in the Mexican War. Just two days before the battle, he was given command of the XII Corps. Maj. Gen. Mansfield led his men through the East Woods towards the Cornfield in support of I Corps already in action. Wounded in the chest he died the next day. There is a monument and a mortuary cannon on the battlefield for Maj. Gen. Mansfield.

Maj. Gen. Israel B. Richardson
This Vermonter was 46 years old when he led his division at Antietam. Another West Pointer, Richardson graduated from the Academy in 1841 and distinguished himself during the Mexican War. In 1855 he resigned his commission and moved to Michigan. Returning to service during the crisis of 1861, Richardson led a brigade during the First Battle of Bull Run and the Peninsula campaign. At Antietam he commanded a division in the II Corp that attacked the Sunken Road. Wounded by artillery while trying to bring up more guns, Maj. Gen. Richardson died on November 3, 1862.

Brig. Gen. Isaac P. Rodman
Born in Rhode Island, Rodman served in both houses of the state legislature before the war. Rodman's middle name was Peace and he was a Quaker. Imagine his dilemma when war broke out between his religion and service to his country. Rodman was a Captain at First Bull Run and a division commander here at Antietam. Crossing at Snavely's Ford on the far south end of the battlefield, Rodman led his men in the final assault, only to be turned back by the timely arrival of A.P. Hill and his men. Mortally wounded, this Quaker General would die on September 30, 1862, at age 40.

Brig. Gen. William E. Starke
Born in Virginia, Starke was a successful cotton planter in New Orleans. He served as the Colonel of the 60th Virginia, then was promoted to Brigadier on August 6, 1862. When Brig. Gen. John R. Jones was stunned by an artillery shell and left the field, Starke took command of the Stonewall Division. The onslaught of the Union I Corps' attack early in the morning began to drive his men back. Starke would lead a counterattack, only to be wounded three times, he died within the hour. His body was returned to Richmond where he was buried in Hollywood Cemetery next to his son who had been killed two months earlier

Wounded at Antietam
September 17, 1862

Army of the Potomac Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford Brig. Gen. Napoleon J.T. Dana Brig. Gen. George L. Hartsuff Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker Brig. Gen. John Sedgwick Brig. Gen. Max Weber	Army of Northern Virginia Maj. Gen. Richard H. Anderson Brig. Gen. Maxcy Gregg Brig. Gen. John R. Jones Brig. Gen. Alexander R. Lawton Brig. Gen. Roswell S. Ripley Brig. Gen. Ambrose R. Wright
Killed at South Mountain September 14, 1862
Maj. Gen. Jesse L. Reno	Brig. Gen. Samuel Garland

Casualties of Battle

Casualty Does Not Equal Dead
Casualties include three categories: 1) dead; 2) wounded; and 3) missing or captured. In general terms, casualties of Civil War battles included 20% dead and 80% wounded. Of the soldiers who were wounded, about one out of seven died from his wounds. Over 2/3 of the 622,000 men who gave their lives in the Civil War died from disease, not from battle.

Antietam Casualties

Approximate Numbers	Union	Confederate	Total
Killed	2,100	1,550	3,650
Wounded	9,550	7,750	17,300
Missing/Captured	750	1,020	1,770
Total	12,400	10,320	22,720

Note: Because of the catastrophic nature of the Battle of Antietam, exact numbers of casualties were virtually impossible to compile. The sources for these figures are the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies and the Antietam Battlefield Board.

Approximate Casualties by Phase of Battle		Union	Confederate	Total
Morning Phase	Engaged	23,600	20,100	43,700
	Casualties	7,280	6,580	13,860
Mid-Day Phase	Engaged	10,000	6,800	16,800
	Casualties	2,900	2,600	5,500
Afternoon Phase	Engaged	13,800	7,150	20,950
	Casualties	2,600	1,120	3,720

Source: The Antietam Battlefield Board

Antietam Timeline

DATE	EASTERN THEATER	OTHER EVENTS
August 28 Thursday	Three day Battle of Second Manassas or Second Bull Run, VA begins.	CSA Gen. Braxton Bragg leads the Army of the Tennessee North from Chattanooga, TN
29 Friday		CSA Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith’s Army of Kentucky invades Kentucky
30 Saturday	Union Gen. John Pope's Army of Virginia defeated at Second Manassas, begins withdrawal toward Washington, D.C.
September 1 Monday	Battle of Chantilly or 0x Hill, VA; Pope's rearguard attacked in driving rainstorm, Union army continues toward Washington
2 Tuesday	Union Gen. George B. McClellan restored to command in Virginia and around Washington CSA Gen. Robert E. Lee concentrating Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) at Chantilly
3 Wednesday	Lee moves ANV toward Leesburg, VA, writes CSA President Jefferson Davis "The present seems to be the most propitious time since the commencement of the war for the Confederate Army to enter Maryland"	Smith occupies state capitol of Frankfort, Kentucky
4 Thursday	Lee begins crossing his army over the Potomac River near Leesburg VA. All the units will be in Maryland by Sept. 7
5 Friday	Army of the Potomac begins to move out of Washington
6 Saturday	"Stonewall" Jackson occupies Frederick, MD, Lee's entire army is across the Potomac
7 Sunday	McClellan moves his headquarters out of Washington to Rockville, MD
8 Monday	Lee issues a Proclamation to the people of Maryland: "It is for you to decide your destiny freely and without constraint"
9 Tuesday	Lee issues Special Orders #191 in Frederick outlining plans for taking of Harpers Ferry, VA (now WV) -CSA Gen John G. Walker's Division leaves Frederick enroute to the Monacacy River Aqueduct and Loudon Heights, VA
10 Wednesday	-Jackson leaves Frederick toward Middletown at 3 am, over South Mountain to Boonsboro by nightfall -CSA Gen James Longstreet follows Jackson through Middletown toward Hagerstown -CSA Gen Layfayette McLaws' Division moves toward Maryland Heights by way of Middletown and Burkittsville. -Walker fords Potomac at Point of Rocks and camps through the 11th
11 Thursday	Confederates enter Hagerstown, MD. By evening, Jackson within 4 miles of Martinsburg, VA (now WV)
12 Friday	McClellan enters Frederick
13 Saturday	-McLaws begins assault on Maryland Heights -CSA Gen D.H. Hill at Boonboro -Jackson occupies Martinsburg -McLaws takes Maryland Heights -Walker reaches Loudon Heights, VA -By night, Jackson reaches Bolivar Heights,WV Copy of Special Orders 191 found in Frederick, delivered to McClellan by early evening; by 10 pm Lee knows of excitement in Federal camp, orders Longstreet to Boonsboro, warns McLaws
14 Sunday	Battle of South Mountain -Union Gen William Franklin's VI Corps takes Crampton's Gap, in line facing South in Pleasant Valley -Union Gens Jesse Reno (IX Corps) and Joseph Hooker (I Corps) attack at Fox's and Turner's Gaps -D.H. Hill and Longstreet withdraw after dark -Walker has artillery in place on Loudon Heights by 1 pm -McLaws has artillery in place on Maryland Heights by 2 pm

15 Monday	Union Forces at Harpers Ferry Surrender -Lee stops retreat, orders concentration at Sharpsburg -Jackson departs Harpers Ferry, leaving A.P. Hill's Division behind -McLaws crosses Potomac to Harper's Ferry McClellan crosses South Mountain to Boonsboro and Keedysville	CSA Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith on Ohio River across from Cincinnati, OH
16 Tuesday	Jackson's and Walker's Divisions arrive at Sharpsburg around midday. Lee sends word to McLaws and A.P. Hill to hurry to Sharpsburg Union I and XII Corps cross Antietam Creek late evening and make contact with Lee’s left at 6 pm McClellan orders Franklin to Sharpsburg from Pleasant Valley
17 Wednesday	BATTLE OF ANTIETAM OR SHARPSBURG Fighting begins at dawn and continues for 11 hours until 5 pm McLaws' Division arrives early morning; A.P. Hill's arrives 3 pm. That evening Lee holds council of war at dark, decides to remain in position	CSA Gen. Braxton Bragg captures 4000 Federals at Munfordville, KY English Foreign Minister Russell, just hearing the news of 2nd Manassas, writes Prime Minister Palmerston "the time is come for offering mediation to the United States Gov't, with a view to the recognition of the independence of the Confederates."
18 Thursday	At dark, Lee begins to withdraw toward the Potomac
19 Friday	Lee’s Army completes Potomac crossing by late morning Raiding party from Union Gen. Fitz John Porter's V Corps crosses Potomac and captures four CSA cannon and returns	Union Gen. William S. Rosecrans defeats CSA Gen. Sterling Price at Iuka, MS. Price now cannot aid Bragg in KY
20 Saturday	Battle of Shepherdstown Two brigades of Porter's V Corps cross the Potomac but are repulsed by a counterattack from A.P. Hill's Division
22 Monday	President Abraham Lincoln announces the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
25 Thursday		Union Gen. Don Carlos Buell beats Bragg to Louisville, KY
October 2 Thursday	Lincoln arrives at Antietam Battlefield to meet with McClellan	Palmerston, learning of Lee's withdraw, writes Russell, "The whole matter is full of difficulty and can only be cleared up by some more decided events between the contending armies."
4 Saturday	Lincoln leaves Antietam for Washington D.C.	Battle of Corinth, MS - CSA Gens. Van Dorn and Price repulsed in attacks
6 Monday	Lincoln orders McClellan to "cross the Potomac and give battle to the enemy or drive him south"
8 Wednesday		Battle of Perryville, KY - Bragg withdraws ending Kentucky invasion
10 Friday	CSA Gen. J.E.B. Stuart rides around McClellan's army
26 Sunday	McClellan's army crosses the Potomac
November 4 Tuesday		Congressional elections in the North. Republicans retain a majority in the House and gain 5 seats in the Senate
5 Wednesday	Lincoln writes the order relieving McClellan from command
December 13 Saturday	Battle of Fredericksburg McClellan's replacement Gen. Burnside defeated by Lee
January 1, 1863 Thursday		Emancipation Proclamation takes effect