Jackson, and Lee was able
to consolidate most of his
scattered army near the town
of Sharpsburg. He drew up
his forces in a defensive line
and prepared to give battle.x McClellan devised a
complicated plan of
attack that required close
cooperation and timing
among the various units in
order to maintain continuous
pressure, but his orders were
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apprise commanders of the
larger picture, so that units
acted independently instead
of in concert.
x The battle began at dawn on
September 17, with elements
of the Union right moving forward against the Confederate left,
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bloodbath that shocked even the veterans.
x The momentum of the battle shifted to the center, where the
southerners’ defenses were anchored by a road that formed a natural
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Union regiments.
o Lee skillfully fed his limited reserves into the fray at just the
right moments to save his formations from collapse. When
these were used up, he daringly weakened parts of his line to
rush troops to the threatened segments.
It is estimated that possession of the
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switched hands 15 times, and the
area became a meat grinder within
which entire regiments could be
obliterated in an instant.© Kurt Holter/iStock/Thinkstock.