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According to the records, the XII Corps, 1st Division of General Alpheus
Williams, was bivouacked about a mile southeast of Frederick, Maryland, on a meadow occupied the day before by Confederate
General D. H. Hill's command. Around 10 a.m. on the 13th of September, 1862, Private Barton W. Mitchell of the 27th Indiana,
along with Sergeant John M. Bloss, discovered an envelope containing three cigars wrapped in a piece of paper lying in the
grass. The document turned out to be a copy of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's orders for the Invasion of Maryland. The
dispatch was addressed to Confederate General Hill. Passed up through the chain of command, the captured order gave Union
General George B. McClellan advance notice of his enemy's movements. Holding the paper, McClellan exclaimed, "Here is
a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home."
SPECIAL ORDERS No. 191.
HDQRS. ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA,
September 9,
1862.
I. The citizens of Fredericktown being unwilling,
while overrun by members of his army, to open their stores, in order to give them confidence, and to secure to officers and
men purchasing supplies for benefit of this command, all officers and men of this army are strictly prohibited from visiting
Fredericktown except on business, in which case they will bear evidence of this in writing from division commanders. The provost-marshal
in Fredericktown will see that his guard rigidly enforces this order.
II. Major Taylor will proceed to Leesburg, Va., and arrange for transportation
of the sick and those unable to walk to Winchester, securing the transportation of the country for this purpose. The route
between this and Culpeper Court-House east of the mountains being unsafe will no longer be traveled. Those on the way to this
army already across the river will move up promptly; all others will proceed to Winchester collectively and under command
of officers, at which point, being the general depot of this army, its movements will be known and instructions given by commanding
officer regulating further movements.
III. The army will resume its march tomorrow, taking the Hagerstown road.
General Jackson's command will form the advance, and, after passing Middletown, with such portion as he may select, take the
route toward Sharpsburg, cross the Potomac at the most convenient point, and by Friday morning take possession of the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, capture such of them as may be at Martinsburg, and intercept such as may attempt to escape from Harper's
Ferry.
IV. General Longstreet's command will pursue the main road as far as Boonsborough,
where it will halt, with reserve, supply, and baggage trains of the army.
V. General McLaws, with his own division and that
of General R. H. Anderson, will follow General Longstreet. On reaching Middletown will take the route to Harper's Ferry, and
by Friday morning possess himself of the Maryland Heights and endeavor to capture the enemy at Harper's Ferry and vicinity.
VI. General Walker, with his division, after accomplishing the object in
which he is now engaged, will cross the Potomac at Cheek's Ford, ascend its right bank to Lovettsville, take possession of
Loudoun Heights, if practicable, by Friday morning, Keys' Ford on his left, and the road between the end of the mountain and
the Potomac on his right. He will, as far as practicable, co-operate with Generals McLaws and Jackson, and intercept retreat
of the enemy.
VII. General D. H. Hill's division will form the rear guard of the army,
pursuing the road taken by the main body. The reserve artillery, ordnance, and supply trains, &c., will precede General
Hill.
VIII. General Stuart will detach a squadron of cavalry to accompany the commands
of Generals Longstreet, Jackson, and McLaws, and, with the main body of the cavalry, will cover the route of the army, bringing
up all stragglers that may have been left behind.
IX. The commands of Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker, after accomplishing
the objects for which they have been detached, will join the main body of the army at Boonsborough or Hagerstown.
X. Each regiment on the march will habitually carry its axes in the regimental
ordnance wagons, for use of the men at their encampments, to procure wood, &c.
By command of General R. E. Lee:
R. H. CHILTON,
Assistant Adjutant-General.
Sources: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies; National
Park Service; National Archives and Records Administration; Library of Congress.
Recommended
Reading: Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam (Pivotal Moments in American History) (Hardcover). Description: The bloodiest day in United States
history was September 17, 1862, when, during the Civil War battle at Antietam, approximately
6,500 soldiers were killed or mortally wounded, while more than 15,000 were seriously wounded. James M. McPherson states
in Crossroads of Freedom the concise chronicle of America’s bloodiest day and that it may well have been the pivotal moment
of the war, as well as the young republic itself. Continued below...
The South, after a series of setbacks in the spring of 1862, had reversed the war's momentum during the
summer, and was on the "brink of military victory" and about to achieve diplomatic recognition by European nations, most notably
England
and France. Though the bulk of his book
concerns itself with the details--and incredible carnage--of the battle, McPherson raises it above typical military histories
by placing it in its socio-political context: The victory prodded Abraham Lincoln to announce his "preliminary" Emancipation
Proclamation, freeing slaves. England and France deferred their economic alliance with the battered secessionists. Most importantly,
it kept Lincoln's party, the Republicans, in control of Congress.
McPherson's account is accessible, elegant, and economical. Also available in paperback:
Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam (Pivotal Moments in American
History)
Advance to:
Recommended
Reading: The Antietam Campaign (Military Campaigns of the Civil War). Description: The Maryland campaign of September 1862 ranks among
the most important military operations of the American Civil War. Crucial political, diplomatic, and military issues were
at stake as Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan maneuvered and fought in the western part of the state. The climactic clash
came on September 17 at the battle of Antietam, where more than 23,000 men fell in the single
bloodiest day of the war. Continued below...
Approaching
topics related to Lee's and McClellan's operations from a variety of perspectives, numerous contributors to this volume explore
questions regarding military leadership, strategy, and tactics, the impact of the fighting on officers and soldiers in both
armies, and the ways in which participants and people behind the lines interpreted and remembered the campaign. They also
discuss the performance of untried military units and offer a look at how the United States Army used the Antietam battlefield
as an outdoor classroom for its officers in the early twentieth century. Also available in paperback: The Antietam Campaign (Military Campaigns of the Civil War)
Recommended
Reading: The Civil War Battlefield
Guide: The Definitive Guide, Completely Revised, with New Maps and More Than 300 Additional Battles (Second Edition)
(Hardcover). Description: This new edition of the definitive guide to Civil War battlefields
is really a completely new book. While the first edition covered 60 major battlefields, from Fort Sumter to Appomattox, the
second covers all of the 384 designated as the "principal battlefields" in the
American Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report. As in the first edition, the essays are authoritative
and concise, written by such leading Civil War historians as James M. McPherson, Stephen W. Sears, Edwin C. Bearss, James
I. Robinson, Jr., and Gary W. Gallager. The second edition also features 83 new four-color maps covering the most important
battles. The Civil War Battlefield Guide is an essential reference for anyone interested in the Civil War. "Reading this book is like being at the bloodiest battles of the war..."
Special Orders Number 191 History Details, What was the Lost Special Order # 191 Copy Purpose Significance
of General Lee’s Special Orders No 191 Special Order Lost Dispatch Robert E Lee Results Facts
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