DK - The American Civil War

Victory at Antietam strengthened President

Lincoln’s political position—he issued the

Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

just a few days later, on September 22.

LINCOLN’S TIMING

Lincoln had intended to proclaim the freedom

of Confederate slaves 160–61 ❯❯ during the

summer, but had been advised that to do so at

a time of military setbacks might smack of

desperation. Now he saw his opportunity.

MCCLELLAN’S INACTIVITY

Visiting McClellan’s camp in early October the

president urged him to pursue Lee across the

Potomac River. McClellan’s response was to

prove too slow for Lincoln to tolerate.

AFTER

LINCOLN AND MCCLELLAN AFTER ANTIETAM

Toombs. Union forces took three hours

to fight their way across and even then

could not exploit their success.

McClellan’s folly

Union luck appeared to change in the

afternoon, with Lee facing potential

disaster. Federal troops belatedly found

a crossing to Lee’s right at Snavely’s

Ford. They

threatened not

only to stave in his

right flank, but to

cut off his only

line of retreat to

the Potomac River.

Had McClellan committed all his forces

at this moment he would surely have

won the day but, ever cautious, he

insisted on retaining his reserves—

20,000 men who never fired a shot.

Lee was saved by the belated arrival

of A. P. Hill’s division, force-marched

from Harpers Ferry. Its unexpected

appearance on his flank led Burnside

to withdraw prudently back across the

creek. In the late afternoon, fighting

ceased. There seemed every reason to

expect that McClellan would resume

his offensive the following day, but

he did not. After some skirmishing,

the Confederate forces were able to

withdraw unmolested to the Potomac

River and cross into Virginia.

A battle in three stages

The fighting began at dawn on the Union right, moved to

the center, then in the afternoon to the Union left, when

Burnside’s men finally managed to cross Antietam Creek.

on their enemy before being forced to

withdraw when their exposed flank

was caught in enfilading fire—sweeping

the length of their line. Even then

Union forces were unable to break

through; two entire corps that could

have been committed to the sector

were standing idle across the creek.

McClellan’s original battle plan had

envisaged Major

General Ambrose

Burnside

distracting the

Confederate right,

while the main

Union attack went

in on the left. But Burnside did not

move until 10 a.m. and then chose

to feed his divisions across the Lower

Bridge, which would later come to

bear his name. On the

Confederate side, Burnside’s

Bridge was covered by

the fire of Georgian

sharpshooters and artillery

under the command of

Brigadier General Robert

center and right to reinforce his left, and
by midmorning he had fought the Union
troops on that flank to a standstill.

Holding the sunken road
It was 9:30 a.m. before a Union division
attacked the Confederate center, held by
2,500 men under Major General D. H.
Hill. Holding a sunken wagon road that,
with good reason, became known as
Bloody Lane, Hill’s outnumbered
infantry repulsed a series of Union
assaults, inflicting some 3,000 casualties

The battlefield looking north
Captain James Hope of the 2nd Vermont Infantry was
unfit for action at Antietam, but made sketches of the
battle, from which he later painted a series of panoramas.
The burning farmhouse on the left was set alight on the
orders of Confederate General D. H. Hill.

The reality of war

A photograph taken after the battle by

Alexander Gardner shows Confederate

dead lying near Dunker Church. Such

images were a shock to a public unused

to war photography.

The number of

Confederate troops

eventually engaged at Antietam. Lee had

started his invasion of Maryland two weeks

before with an army of 55,000.

38,000

THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM

HOOKER SUMNER

BURNSIDE

MANSFIELD

HOOD

LONGSTREET

STUART

A.P.HILL

McCLELLAN

LEE

Dunker

Church

JACKSON

D.H.HILL

Lower

Bridge

North

Woods

West

Woods

East

Woods

Cornfield

Middle Bridge

Upper

Bridge

Harpers^ Ferry^ R

oad

Snavely's

Ford

Sharpsburg

Ant

ietam

Creek

Po

to

ma

c^ R

ive

r

Pot

om

ac^ River

Philip Pry

House

② 6:30 a.m.: Union artillery

mows down Confederate

troops in the Cornfield. Lee

moves troops from center

to prevent breakthrough

⑥ 4 p.m.: Burnside

withdraws to the bridge

and fighting comes to an

end. The next day both

sides gather their dead

①launches powerful 6 a.m.: Hooker and wounded

attack against the

Confederate left

③ 9:30 a.m.: Union attack in

the center leads to fierce

fighting around the sunken

wagon road. McClellan fails to

commit his reserves

⑤ 3:30 p.m.:

A.P. Hill’s division

arrives just in time

to bolster the

Confederate right

④ 1 p.m.: After more

than three hours' fighting,

Burnside’s men succeed in

crossing Lower Bridge

KEY

Union forces

Confederate forces

N

0 km

0 miles 0.5 1

0.5 1