", "Through a shower of bullets and shells, it was only the thoughts of home that brought me from that place." It is necessary for you to abandon your position tonight. (2) At 7:00 a.m., Gen. John Bell Hoods Confederate Division of approximately 2,000 men was waiting behind the Dunker Church. Greenes 2nd Brigade, under Colonel Henry J. Stainrook, reached the Smoketown Road and unhinged the Confederate right flank. 191 that Chilton had intended for Hill. Meanwhile, Jackson got the remainder of his command on the road toward Sharpsburg. At the same time, he began throwing together a patchwork defense of the South Mountain passes at Turners, Foxs, and Cramptons Gaps. It pitted Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of. One soldier of the 6th Wisconsin captured the essence of that horrific morning. This 24-acre cornfield, owned by D.R. I will have a battery here to help you.. To take it, Hookers divisions would advance along the turnpike between the East and West Woods, through the pastures of the Miller farm, and across the cornfield at the turnpikes eastern edge. Six generals were killed or mortally wounded, three from the Union army and three Confederates. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. Nearing the end of 2018, well be bombarded by the annual parade of top ten lists counting down everything from the years news events to songs and online fads. Despite heavy losses and tenacious resistance, Doubleday had driven deeply into Jacksons line. 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 gunners went into action amid Millers haystacks, ignoring Confederate fire that cut down men and horses. General Robert E. Lee also recognized dissent among Lincolns ranks and hoped a battle victory on Union land might topple Lincolns congressional support and help secure the Confederacy once and for all. Corps and divisions moved as languidly to the places assigned them as if they were getting ready for a grand review instead of a decisive battle.. Hoods men threw down half-eaten biscuits and stuffed bacon into their mouths as they rushed to fill the gap. He contemplated issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, a document that freed all slaves in the rebellious states. The 19th Indiana and 7th Wisconsin crossed the turnpike to cover the Iron Brigades flank, and Gibbon brought up Battery B, 4th U.S. 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. The terrain is gently rolling, but the surface can be slightly uneven, so good walking shoes are recommended. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Cornfield: Antietams Bloody Tur., Welker, David A New Book at the best online prices at eBay! Jackson summoned his last reserves, the 2,300 men of Hoods division. McClellan sends Maj. Gen. Fitz John Porter to mount a cautious pursuit, which is repulsed at the Battle of Shepherdstown. Weeks later, he names Burnside commander of the Army of the Potomac. 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 Cornfield Trail at Antietam National Battlefield. Its authenticity was confirmed when Pittman noted Chiltons signature and recognized the handwriting of Lees adjutant, with whom he had served before the war. Lee had no illusions of holding the gaps for an extended period, but any delay in the Union advance might allow the Army of Northern Virginia to escape destruction. He also counted on McClellan to move slowly, which he did. This is that story, Viewers of the 1989 film Glory know it tells the story of the 54th Massachusetts African American regiment and its commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, who share a fate at the 1863 assault on Fort Wagner. Six weeks after Antietam, McClellan finally heeded his bosss advice and led the Army of the Potomac into Virginia, but at a snails pace. Captain Benjamin F. Cook of the 12th Massachusetts remembered the horrific fighting in the cornfield and its aftermath. She saw the desperation of the wounded and dying and did what she could to aid and comfort them. The president relieved McClellan of his duties on November 7 and appointed Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside to be his replacement. Little is known Continue reading Claimed by the Cornfield: Georgias Colonel MarcellusDouglass, When General J. R. Jones quickly relinquished command at the prospect of marching his division into Antietams Cornfield, his fellow Southern officers began whispering the word coward behind his back. The little hillock would be his objective for the morning attack. Rifles are shot to pieces in the hands of soldiers, canteens and haversacks are riddled with bullets, the dead and wounded go down in scores. Three brigades from Hills division supported Hoods defenders, and Brig. One Union officer saw an arm go 30 feet in the air and fall back again. The fighting was desperate as the Confederate tide surged forward. Although Continue reading Cowards in the Cornfield? Two divisions of Sumners corps, commanded by Brig. When the Confederates withdrew, Franklin was only six miles from Harpers Ferry. 1. Lincoln called the generals condition a bad case of the slows., Though well-liked by his men, McClellan could be vain and boastful. Williams sent the order to McClellan with a note that read: I enclose a Special Order of Gen. Lee commanding Rebel forces which was found on the field where my corps is encamped. September 17. 191, dated September 9. The number increased, and larger and larger grew the field of the blue until it seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, and from the tops of the mountains down to the edges of the stream gathered the great army of . Libby remembered a loud response from the Maine men to the contrary. (Part Two): The Complicated Story of Virginias General John R.Jones, Cowards in the Cornfield? A total of 23,000 men were killed, wounded or captured; 3650 soldiers were killed - 2100 Unionists and 1550 Confederates. Meanwhile, on September 2, McClellan retook command of the army to the cheers of his men. Gen. William French and Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick, crossed Antietam Creek to support Mansfield. Their company commander, Captain Kop, was killed. . 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, Lee was left with few cards to play. Ricketts remaining two brigades, under Colonel William A. Christian and Brig. Thomas Wait and myself told him that we were not firing at our own men for those that were firing at us from behind the trees had been firing at us from the first, recalled Libby. Detached from the command of Maj. Gen. Thomas J. This is the excerpt for your very firstpost. As he read, McClellan waved his arms and shouted, Now I know what to do! Later that day, McClellan visited with his old friend, Brig. Hooker, conspicuously mounted on a white charger, rode to the southern edge of the cornfield and saw an opportunity to rally the remains of his corps, bring artillery forward, and join with XII Corps to strike the decisive blow. (3) Gen. Lee ordered troops from Gen. D. H. Hills command at the Sunken Road to move north into the Cornfield. Download the official NPS app before your next visit. The 12-hour clash created 21,699 casualties, killed 3,654, and turned many innocuous spots around quiet Sharpsburg, Maryland into national icons of death and suffering, including the Burnside Bridge, the Sunken Road, the West Woods, and the Cornfield . By the 7th, the army was completely across the Potomac and camped in the vicinity of Frederick. The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point Kindle Edition by David A. Welker (Author) Format: Kindle Edition 139 ratings See all formats and editions Kindle $2.99 Read with Our Free App Audiobook $0.00 Free with your Audible trial The Civil War battle in western Maryland that killed 22,000 menand served no military purpose. This 24-acre cornfield, owned by D.R. Hartsuff was wounded and Christian suffered an emotional breakdown and fled the field. Donate Now Longstreets and Hills units formed the Confederate right and center flanks to the west of Antietam Creek, while Jacksons and Brigadier General John G. Walkers units formed the Confederate left flank. West Woods 6. While his own numbers swelled to nearly 90,000, McClellan, ever cautious, was concerned about the strength of his enemy. The fighting, he said, was like a great tumbling together of all heaven and earththe slaughter on both sides was enormous. By 10 am, the opening phase of the battle had blown itself out, and the fighting swung southward. The first Union infantry formations did not arrive until the afternoon of September 15. The two brigades emerged from the North Woods simultaneously and crossed a field of clover. The Tigers also clashed with Ricketts brigade, under Colonel Richard Coulter, who had replaced the wounded Hartsuff, as the Federals rushed through the shattered cornfield. Inconclusive. The first reports of the Confederate move into Maryland arrived in Washington on the afternoon of September 4, prompting McClellan to begin moving at a deliberate pace from his encampment at Rockville, Maryland. 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. Hooker ordered four batteries to unlimber. He recorded the hand-hewn grave markers and headstones bearing names of a few of the fallen, created in Antietam's immediate aftermath by friends and brothers. Jackson included the caveat that Hood be ready to move at a moments notice if called upon. At dusk, Hooker bumps into Confederate general John Bell Hoods division and the two forces skirmish until dark. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Stay up-to-date on our FREE educational resources & professional development opportunities, all designed to support your work teaching American history. Mansfield was carried from the field and died within hours. Still, it endorsed the idea that the war wasnt just about states rights but also stopping slavery. 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. The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single day in American history, and the partial victory by Union troops led Abraham Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. The Battle of Antietam in September 1862 turned back the first major Confederate invasion of the North in the Civil War. After more than an hour of fighting around the East Woods and the eastern half of the cornfield, the Federals had failed to press their slight advantage, feeding troops into the battle piecemeal as the Confederates had rushed reinforcements from the center to stem the Union tide. In less than fifteen we were sending and receiving death missiles by the bushel. Hoods men drove north, forcing the First Corps back across the Cornfield. But do you know their experiences in the month and hours before marching together into the Cornfield? The Cornfield Trail starts at Auto Tour Stop 4. [1]. With Federal forces closing in from the east, Lee selects strategic ground near Antietam Creek and orders his army to converge there. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Union Gen. Joseph Hooker remembered that "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 stood in their ranks a few moments before. Near the center of the battlefield, another site of slaughter was a farm lane known as the Sunken Road, where Hills division of approximately 2,600 men had piled fence rails along the roads embankment to fortify their position against Union Major General William H. Frenchs 5,500 approaching troops. Jackson called them into battle and, In less than five minutes we were advancing toward the enemy. Continued passivity would invite the Federals to return and once again mount an offensive against Richmond. It was an act that earned John Cookwho had turned fifteen years old barely a month beforethe Medal of Honor. Go to the next tour stop - the West Woods The First American President: Setting the Precedent, African Americans During the Revolutionary War, Help Save 820 Acres at Five Virginia Battlefields, Save 343 Acres at FIVE Battlefields in FOUR Western Theater States, Save 42 Historic Acres at the Battle of Chancellorsville, Phase Three of Gaines Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign, An Unparalleled Preservation Opportunity at Gettysburg Battlefield. The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. All of Lees troops were worn-out and hungry, and many were sick. Travel back in time to see Antietam's battlefield as it looked 134 years ago. Starke, shot three times, died on the field. The 5th North Carolinas Captain Thompson came up to me in a very excited manner and tone cried out to me They are flanking us! It pitted Confederate General Robert E. 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