Show I I 9 99 JL JL CT i ja t It k Spelled II Death ea a for oooo Americans x yet u By ELMO ELl SCOTT WATSON VATSON N THE North they called I I IN it Antietam in the I South Sharpsburg But which ch ever name is given the battle that was fought in inI I Washington county Maryland Maryland Mary Mary- land Iland on September 17 1862 fat it spelled death for some Americans from both the North and the South The field where it was fought lying along Antietam creek and including the little littletown littletown littletown town of Sharpsburg has come down do in history as the scene of the bloodiest single day of fighting and that of of September as the day of greatest carnage during the whole four years of the American American American Amer Amer- ican Civil war Into that bat- bat 0 e Gen n Robert F E Lee led AA approximately men in ingray ingray ingray gray and came out of it with witha a loss of nearly killed and wounded But in doing so he inflicted upon Gen A n L nr Y n 4 3 1 GEN GEORGE B. B McCLELLAN 1 George B B. B McClellan and l his s host of men in blue a loss of more than Pointing out that this tremendous tremendous dous tumult of carnage was entirely entirely en en- compassed in the brief hours from dawn to four o'clock in the afternoon one of the generals generals generals gen gen- who took part in it Gen James Longstreet of the Confederate Confederate Confederate erate army in his memoirs From Manassas to Appomattox tox says Gettysburg was the greatest battle of the war but it was for three days and its total of casualties on either side terrible ter ter- ter- ter as it was should be third one-third larger to make the average per diem equal to the losses at Sharpsburg Viewed by the measure measure measure meas meas- ure of losses Antietam was the fourth battle of the war Spott- Spott sylvania and the Wilderness as aswell aswell aswell well as Gettysburg exceeding it itin itin itin in number of killed and wounded but each of these dragged its tragedy through several days And now three-quarters three of a century later thousands of Americans Americans Americans Ameri Ameri- cans are gathering on that blood- blood soaked field to celebrate the sev sev- fifth enty-fifth anniversary of the battle battle battle bat bat- tle to see it re-enacted re by National Guard troops from three states and to hear again the story of the her heroic ic deeds of the men who fought there Pre President ident Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt has been invited to attend the celebration and the governors of 29 23 states Northern and Southern will be among the spectators when the curtain of f history is rolled back and the guns of war echo through the rolling hills of Maryland Maryland Mary Mary- land once more The story of Antietam is the story of a great battle which just missed being a decisive engagement engagement engage engage- ment because of several queer quirks of fate It came at a time when the hopes of the Confederacy acy for success were mounting high Lee had whipped Pope at the second battle of Bull Run or orI I Manassas and decided that the time was ripe to carry the war against the enemy instead of fighting on the defensive He hoped that the people of Maryland would rally t to tsi the Stars and Bars if he led a strong force into that state and there was also the possibility that this threat against Wasl Washington would release the pressure on Richmond without without without with with- out endangering the the capital capital of the Confederacy If his reception in the border state was what he hoped it would be he could continue continue con con- north into Pennsylvania and thus give the Northerners a taste of their own medicine of invasion Maryland My Maryland So with Jeb Stuart women of 9 Maryland had given that dashing trooper a pair of gold spurs leading leading lead lead- ing the way and with bands blaring blar blaring blar blar- ing and soldiers singing Maryland Mary land My Maryland I I J Lee crossed the Potomac on September 11 But as he advanced into his neighboring neighboring neigh neigh- boring state he found its people strangely apathetic to his offer to r r- r 4 r r. r g A n Y 1 Pa Pax J C x v 0 x e e Y w S r dL THE FIGHT AT BURNSIDES BURNSIDE'S BRIDGE free them from oppression Neither recruits in any large number number number num num- ber nor supplies were ing Moreover his men began to straggle because man many of them were reluctant to fight outside of Virginia Then Lee decided upon a bold plan and a necessary one if he were to carry the war into Penn Penn- sylvania Against the advice of some of his generals he divided his forces and ordered Stonewall Stonewall Stonewall Stone wall Jackson to strike for Harpers Harper's Harpers Harper's Harpers Harper's Har Har- pers per's Ferry and capture the Union supplies stored there and guarded by a comparatively small force Several copies of the orders for this maneuver were made and one of these copies came into the hands of a staff officer whose identity identity identity iden iden- has never been established This officer wrapped up three cigars cigars cigars ci ci- gars in the paper and carelessly stuffed it in his pocket And here is where one of those queer quirks of fate came in An Important Find The officer lost the cigars with their highly important wrapping out of his pocket and they were picked up b by a Union soldier Within a short time Lees Lee's Special Special Special cial Order No was in the hands of Gen George B. B McClel McClel- lan At first the Union commander commander com corn mander could scarcely believe that it was authentic Then realizing realizing realizing real real- izing the golden opportunity that lay within n his grasp that grasp that of striking striking striking ing Lees Lee's divided force force he he set his army of in swift motion toward Frederick By this time Lee had reached Hagerstown No word had yet been received from the force sent to capture Harpers Harper's Ferry and the Confederate commander began to tobe tobe tobe be concerned His alarm d deepened deepened deep deep- ep- ep ened when Jeb Stuart brought d Jr Jrr s r GEN ROBERT TOOMBS word of McClellan's advance Lee knew mew Little Mac as a skillful but over-cautious over commander and could not understand why he should be moving mO with such sureness sureness sureness sure- sure ness toward his objective He knew mew nothing of the loss of the copy of Special Order No but be he suspected that McClellan had guessed his situation and was marching to take advantage of it Then word came from Jackson that he had captured Harpers Harper's Ferry and asked for further or or- ders Lee at once sent word for fora a concentration of his scattered forces at Sharpsburg toward which McClellan was advancing On the afternoon of September 16 Lee drew up his rus troops on the west bank of Antietam creek reek and made as strong a display of force as possible in an effort to stall off McClellan's attack until the troops under Jackson A. A P P. P Hill and McLaws McLaws McLaws Mc- Mc Laws should arrive Hooker Opens the Affair In the afternoon McClellan sent Gen Joe Hook Hooker r to cross the Antietam Antietam Antietam An An- and attempt to turn Lees Lee's left Hooker met with some success success success suc suc- cess but when night came he was content to rest upon his arms and hold the small amount of ground he had gained The next morning the two two armies were drawn up opposIte opposite op op- each other in m lines three miles long At dawn Hooker again attacked and soon the battle battle bat bat- tle was raging all along the line The fiercest fighting took place in the center and made immortal two spots spots a sunken sunk sunk- en road washed out by rains which made a natural rifle pit for forthe forthe forthe the Confederates and a stone stonebridge stonebridge stonebridge bridge over Antietam creek to tobe tobe tobe be known later as Burnsides Burnside's bridge In the sunken road lay the men of two Rodes Rode's and Andersons Anderson's of the five brigades commanded by Gen D. D H H. Hill When the Union general French advanced to attack attack attack at at- tack his men were met with a withering fire as they pushed up the hill beyond Antietam creek But they dug in and held on for a little while Then in one of the most desperate parts of the whole battle they surged over the rail fence from behind which the Confederates Confederates Confederates Con Con- federates had been pouring in their destructive fire and overwhelmed overwhelmed overwhelmed over over- whelmed the gray defenders of the sunken road When this part of the battle was over the road was filled with dead and dying Thus Bloody Lane got its name At this point McClellan ha had l another another another an an- other opportunity to smash Lee Lee Lee- and threw it away He had in reserve reserve reserve re re- re- re serve John Fitz-John Porters Porter's corps of men who had not yet been engaged Military experts believe that had he immediately thrown this force into the fight to follow up Frenchs French's success he could have split Lees Lee's army in two and won the battle then and there Toombs' Toombs Heroic Defense But for some strange reason he failed to do so Instead he was sending repeated orders to General General General Gen Gen- eral Burnside to attack the stone stonebridge stonebridge stonebridge bridge over the Antietam This bridge was defended by Gen Robert Robert Robert Rob Rob- ert Toombs once a member of Jefferson Davis' Davis cabinet but now commander of of a small force of two Georgia regiments and several several several sev sev- eral fragments of other com com- The bridge was a key to the Confederate rear If the Union forces captured it they would block one of the routes of retreat So in the face of overwhelming odds Toombs and leis his small force held on grimly against repeated attacks by Burnside Considering the heroic quality of that defense it would seem fitting that that bridge should bear the name of Toombs Instead In Instead Instead In In- stead that honor goes to the general general general gen gen- eral whose forces captured it for forto forto forto to this day it is known as Burnsides Burnside's Burnsides Burnside's Burnsides Burnside's Burn- Burn sides side's bridge Considering too the amount of blood that was shed in in capturing the bridge it seems ironical enough that few of Burnsides Burnside's Burnsides Burnside's Burnsides Burnside's Burn- Burn sides side's men after driving off Toombs' Toombs forces used it to cross the stream Instead the majority of them waded across the Antietam Antietam Antietam Antie Antie- tam just below or above it Early in the afternoon Burnside was able to report to McClellan that by a brilliant charge of the first Fifty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers Volunteers Volunteers Volun Volun- the hard fought bridge had been carried After occupying occupying occupying occupy occupy- ing the other bank Burnside halted until 3 o'clock when peremptory peremptory peremptory per per- orders orders' came from the commander to push forward and carry the he heights to which the enemy had retired Held up for a awhile awhile awhile while by a Confederate battery on the left of the line Burnside finally finally finally final final- ly succeeded in reaching the heights and some of his troops even advanced to the outskirts of Sharpsburg A. A P. P Hill Dill Arrives At this juncture reinforcements w which ich Lee had been praying for arrived red red red bearded A A. A P P. P Hill who Hill who had had r been making a forced march from Harpers Harper's Ferry arrived on the field Tired as s his men were they were immediately hurled against Burnside The boys in blue were driven back to the creek and there they prepared to make their stand If this important movement Burnsides Burnside's advance had been consummated two hours earlier McClellan wrote to the War Var department de department department de de- de a position would have been secured upon the heights from which our batteries might have enfiladed the greater part of the enemy's line and turned their right and rear Our victory might have been much more de de- But McClellan had missed his chance c lance cnance for a smashing victory when he did not throw John Fitz-John Porter into the fray and when he did not support Burnsides Burnside's attack as strongly as he might have done Darkness end ended d the fighting fighting fighting fight fight- ing on Antietam's bloody field and that night Union and Confederate soldiers rested on their arms At dawn the Union artillery opened opened opened op op- op- op ened fire again General Couch's division arrived giving McClellan i fresh men but he made no I attempt to push the fight He now had men and more were on the way Believing that Lee had at least although there were never more than men in gray the Union commander decided to wait even though he E. E S I i Vw Y YI y lI 3 k 9 titi t 1 e t t it tri h rr GEN ROBERT E. E LEE knew there was a chance that Lee would escape across the Potomac Finally the Confederates sent a white flag asking for an armistice to gather up the wounded between the two armies and it was granted Neither army anny resumed the attack attack attack at at- tack during the day and that night the Union pickets heard the rumbling rumbling rumbling rum rum- bling of wheels The next morning morning morning morn morn- ing revealed what they had sus sus- Lee had retreated in safety safety safety safe safe- ty across the Potomac Immediately Immediately Immediately Immedi Immedi- McClellan gave orders for foran foran foran an advance Porters Porter's corps the corps the very troops which he had held back during the battle forded battle forded the river formed on the Virginia shore and started to advance But the men in gray had a strong position position position tion now They threw back the Union advance with heavy casualties casualties casualties casual casual- ties thereby adding to the losses which McClellan had suffered lives that had been given in vain Back in Washington a tall gaunt man awaited news of tho the battle He had written a procla- procla i r y 4 tl GEN A. A E. E BURNSIDE mation freeing the slaves He would follow up the first great Union victory with this proclamation tion as a blow against southern resistance Then the news of the bloody struggle at Antietam came bearing bearing bear bear- ing with it th the story of McClellan's McClellan's McClel McClel- lans lan's tragic failure and Abraham Lincoln sadly faced a n future in which there seemed little hope e Western Newspaper Union |