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Antietam Antietam National Battlefield Maryland Dunker Church US Army Burial Detail National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Aftermath of the battle, Hagerstown Pike Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) Antietam: The Bloodiest One-Day Battle of the American Civil War CIVIL WAR—EASTERN THEATER HIGHLIGHTS Lincoln inaugurated; States’ secession from United States Confederates attack Fort Sumter begins December 1860 March–April 1861 First Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) July 1861 A year and a half into the Civil War, a United States Army victory was far from assured. Confederate forces were fighting successfully in the Eastern Theater, whose operations were mainly in Virginia. After his victory at the Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee decided to move his army out of war-torn Virginia. On September 4, 1862, he led over 40,000 troops across the Potomac River and through the lush Maryland countryside to Frederick. Lee’s Maryland Campaign—his first foray into US Army territory—was the most significant in a series M A RY L A N D C A M PA I G N Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run) •Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) Battle of Fredericksburg September 1862 December 1862 Emancipation Proclamation Battle of Chancellorsville Battle of Gettysburg January 1863 May 1863 July 1863 August 1862 Battles of Wilderness & Spotsylvania Court House Siege of Petersburg June 1864–April 1865 Lee surrenders; Lincoln assassinated April 1865 May 1864 of loosely coordinated Confederate incursions along a 1,000-mile front. Lee intended to keep moving north into Pennsylvania, but the US Army’s 12,500-strong garrison at Harpers Ferry threatened his line of supply and communication into Virginia. On September 12 US Army Gen. George B. McClellan led the Army of the Poto­mac into Frederick, just as the last Confederate soldiers were departing. Over the next few days a chain of events would draw all units together for the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War. Before the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) On September 13 a US Army soldier found a copy of Lee’s Special Order 191, his plan of operations for the campaign. This “Lost Order,” as it has become known, was taken to McClellan, who realized it was time to strike Lee’s divided forces. On the morning of September 14 US soldiers en­gaged Confederates guarding the gaps on South Mountain. The day-long battle forced the Confederates from the gaps. Lee divided his army to neutralize this threat. Part of Gen. James Longstreet’s command went to Hagerstown, Maryland, close to Pennsylvania. Three columns led by Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson surrounded Harpers Ferry and held Crampton Gap on South Mountain (map, right). A third force, Gen. D.H. Hill’s command, guarded the South Mountain gaps near Boonsboro. Lee considered returning to Virginia, but on September 15, after learning that Harpers Ferry had fallen to the Confederates, he reevaluated his plans. He would instead make a stand at Sharpsburg, a quiet, 100-year-old farming community of 1,200 residents. That night we lay in line of battle behind a small brick church called the Dunkers Church, situated on the Hagerstown Turnpike, with arms, and ready to move at any moment. Pvt. 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For the people of Sharpsburg the battle and presence of thousands of soldiers caused sickness and death from disease and extensive property damage. Antietam made feasible the Emancipation Proclamation and reshaped the logistics of field medicine. It also influenced how the nation would memorialize battlefields in the future. Sharpsburg Lutheran Church was damaged in the battle. Bridge planks mark temporary US Army graves at Lower Bridge. Immediately after the battle over 3,500 dead were buried in fields surrounding Sharpsburg (background photo at right). Confederate dead were later moved to three local cemeteries. US Army dead were re-interred in Antietam National Cemetery, and their names (if known) NPS were recorded in the book at right. Seeing the bandages, lanterns, and food Clara Barton (above) George Allen, US Army brought to his Antietam hospital, surgeon Charles Dunn christened her “The Angel of the Battlefield.” Barton founded the American Red Cross in 1881. She provided neutral assistance to soldiers in war. She also conceived and put into practice the provision of aid to civilians after natural disasters. The Emancipation Proclamation (right) released on January 1, 1863, reshaped the war. It freed people enslaved in the states in rebellion and gave the US war effort two goals: preserve the Union and end slavery. Enslaved people could flee to US Army camps and freedom or join US fighting forces. Lee’s repulse at Antietam enabled the proclamation, and the two events kept Great Britain from intervening for the Confederacy. ALL IMAGES—LIBRARY OF CONGRESS UNLESS OTHERWISE CREDITED Field surgeon’s bone saw NPS Hospitals were set up in barns, churches, homes, and makeshift tents (below) to care for over 17,000 wounded soldiers. The Hagerstown newspaper called the area “one vast hospital.” NPS The battle created a legion of amputees (above). The shovel (far right) buried many dead, who often awaited burial for days, laid out (right) as though they died in their battle ranks. A revolution in combat medical care was put in place just weeks before the battle. Dr. Jonathan Letterman, chief medical officer for the US Army of the Potomac, established an ambulance corps to evacuate the wounded. He also adopted triage, a system of prioritizing casualties by the severity of their wounds. NPS When bullets are cracking skulls like eggshells, the consuming passion . . . is to get out of the way. US Army Pvt. David L. Thompson The Battle of Antietam On September 15, 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee placed his army along a ridge west of Antie­tam Creek. Gen. James Longstreet commanded the line’s center and right, and Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson held its left. Behind them a Potomac River ford allowed retreat to Virginia. favorably,” hit the Confederate right. He hoped that success in either attack would strike Lee’s center. But the instructions to his commanders were ambiguous. The 12-hour battle began at dawn on September 17. Three attacks struck the Confederate left, north to south. Gen. Joseph Hooker’s First Corps made the initial assault, followed by Gen. Joseph Mansfield’s Twelfth Corps. Part of Gen. Edwin Sum­ner’s Second Corps made the final attack. But McClellan’s battle plan broke down in uncoordinated advances. On September 15 and 16 US Army Gen. George B. McClellan deployed forces east of the creek. His plan was to attack Lee’s left and, when “matters looked CONFEDERATE ARMY LEADERSHIP Robert E. Lee Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson From 6 to 10 am savage combat raged across the Cornfield, East Woods, and West Woods. By late morning fighting shifted toward the Confederate center at Sunken Road. A three-hour stalemate left the road forever known as “Bloody Lane.” At 10 am US Gen. Ambrose Burnside’s Ninth Corps began assaults on the Lower Bridge—the most contested of the three bridges the US Army used to cross Antietam Creek. By 1 pm they had driven the Confederates from the bluff overlooking the creek. Over the next two hours Burnside moved troops across the bridge and deployed them. When he again advanced on the Confederate right, Gen. A.P. Hill’s reinforcements, arriving in late afternoon from Harpers Ferry, stopped him. The battle ended about 6 pm. The lines of battle had not shifted greatly. Of nearly 100,000 soldiers engaged in battle, about 23,000 were killed, wounded, or missing. Late on September 18, Lee forded the Potomac and retreated to Virginia. US ARMY LEADERSHIP James Longstreet Daniel H. Hill Ambrose P. Hill George B. McClellan Joseph Hooker Joseph K.F. Mansfield Edwin V. Sumner Ambrose E. Burnside ALL IMAGES—LIBRARY OF CONGRESS TOURING ANTIETAM BATTLEFIELD Cornfield and West Woods Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) 1 Dunker Church Built in 1852, this mod- 6 Mumma Farm and Cemetery The only deliberate destruction of property during the battle was the burning of this farm. Confederate soldiers were ordered to burn these structures to prevent their use by US Army sharpshooters. Samuel Mumma and his family had fled to safety before the battle. The Mumma family rebuilt the home in 1863. 8 Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) For three hours about 500 Confederates held the area overlooking the Lower Bridge. Burnside’s command finally captured the bridge and crossed Antietam Creek, which forced the Confederates back toward Sharpsburg. est house of worship for pacifist German Baptist Brethren was a focal point for US Army attacks the morning of the battle. 2 North Woods US Army Gen. Joseph Hooker’s troops spent the night before the battle on the Poffenberger farm. At first light they advanced south from here toward Jackson’s lines. “The stars were still shining when [Hooker’s] skirmishers became engaged,” a soldier recalled. 3 East Woods A small engagement took place in this area the night before the battle. The fighting also opened here early on September 17 as US Army and Confederate soldiers exchanged deadly musket volleys, vying to control the woods. 4 Cornfield This 24-acre cornfield saw some of US history’s most horrific fighting. For nearly three hours Hooker and Mansfield’s US Army forces battled Jackson’s Confederates. Many regiments on both sides were cut to pieces. Hays’ Louisiana Brigade suffered over 60-percent casualties in 30 minutes. 7 Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) This farm lane served as a breastwork for the Confederate center. For about three hours 2,200 Confederates, later reinforced by additional troops, held off the attacks of a combined US Army force of nearly 10,000. Just after noon the thin Confederate line collapsed and fell back several hundred yards to the Piper farm. The US Army had suffered too many casualties to pursue their advantage. Seeing the dead in the road, an observer wrote, “They were lying in rows like the ties of a railroad, in heaps like cordwood mingled with the splintered and shattered fence rails. Words are inadequate to portray the scene.” 5 West Woods Around 9:30 am US Gen. Edwin Sumner’s soldiers advanced into the West Woods. The combined firepower of the Confederate artillery and attacking infantry drove them back. In 20 minutes over 2,200 US Army soldiers were killed or wounded. 9 Final Attack After taking Lower Bridge, Burnside moved east to west, pushing back the Confederate right flank. Just as Lee’s line appeared to be breaking, Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill’s Light Division arrived from Harpers Ferry to drive Burnside back to Antietam Creek. 10 Antietam National Cemetery Confederate artillery occupied this hill during the battle. (Neither the national cemetery nor the town cemetery across the road existed in 1862.) At first the dead were buried where they fell. US Army soldiers who died in combat or in hospitals throughout the region were later reinterred here. A total of 4,776 US Army soldiers rest here, along with those who served in four other wars. The Confederate dead were laid to rest in Hagerstown, Frederick, and Shepherdstown. Visiting Antietam Battlefield Park structures close at 5 pm. Park grounds close 30 minutes after sunset. Use the official NPS App to guide your visit. Visitor Center Start here. Exhibits and a film introduce the Battle of Antietam and the Maryland Campaign. The visitor center is open daily except Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1. Accessibility We strive to make facilities, services, and programs accessible to all. For information go to the visitor center, ask a ranger, call, or check the park website. Safety and Regulations Stay alert to traffic. Bicyclists: Use caution, especially going downhill. Stay on trails to avoid contact with stinging nettles, ticks, and snakes. Federal laws protect all natural and cultural features in the park. Do not climb monuments, cannons, fences, or trees. Using remotely piloted aircraft like drones is prohibited. Emergencies call 911 npf_black.pdf Join the park community. www.nationalparks.org IGPO:2024—427-086/84026 Last updated 2024 1 8/26/22 12:33 PM More Information Antietam National Battlefield PO Box 158 Sharpsburg, MD 21782 301-432-5124 www.nps.gov/anti Follow us on social media. Antietam National Battlefield is one of over 425 parks in the National Park System. To learn more about national parks, visit www.nps.gov.