The fighting 59punish the rebels. On 12 September, his
greatest fear was that the rebels would escape
to Virginia unscathed. Late that afternoon
the President urged McClellan not to let Lee
'get off without being hurt.'
The next day, in an incredible stroke of
luck, Union soldiers rummaging through
abandoned Confederate camps at Frederick
found a copy of Lee's operational blueprint.
The document quickly made its way to
Union headquarters, where McClellan
instantly grasped its importance. Turning to
a subordinate, he said, 'Here is a paper with
which if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be
willing to go home.' But precious hours
ticked by before the Federal chief bestirred
himself to press the invaders. While Jackson
laid siege to Harpers Ferry on 14 September,
McClellan's troops forced Lee's defenders
out of the gaps of South Mountain in
sharp fighting. Lee briefly thought about
abandoning Maryland, then decided to
concentrate his army near Sharpsburg. Two
days passed with little action on Lee's and
McClellan's front, but Harpers Ferry and its
12,000-man garrison surrendered on the 15th,
freeing Jackson to hasten to Lee's support.James Longstreet committed nearly 30,000 Confederates
to his impressive counterattack against the Army of
Virginia on the afternoon of 30 August. His wing lost
more men in a few hours of hard combat than Jackson's
had in three days of fighting. This post-war painting
shows Union officers trying to form a line of battle
to stem the Confederate tide. (Author's collection)