Battle of Antietam

The battles of Antietam , (or battles of Sharpsbourg in the south) took place the September 17th 1862 within the framework of the American Civil War of the the United States of America. It is the first of the conflict on the ground of the Northerners (known as Yankee ) and that which will see the most losses in only one day of the history of the country.

Involved forces

Union:

Army of Potomac: general major George Brinton Mac Clellan.

1 body: general major Joseph Hooker, then general sergeant George Gordon Meade.

1 division: general sergeant Rufus King, then general sergeant John To carry Hatch, then general sergeant Abner Doubleday.

1 brigade: colonel W. Phelps Jr.
2 brigade: general sergeant Abner Doubleday, then colonel W.P. Wainwright, then lieutenant colonel J.W. Hoffmann.
3 brigade: general sergeant Marsena Rudolph Patrick.
4 brigade: general sergeant John Gibbon.

2 division: general sergeant James Brewerton Ricketts.

1 brigade: general sergeant Abram Duryeé.
2 brigade: colonel W.A. Christian, then colonel P. Lyle.
3 brigade: general sergeant George Lucas Hartsuff, then colonel R. Coulter.

3 division: general sergeant George Gordon Meade, then general sergeant Truman Seymour.

1 brigade: general sergeant Truman Seymour, then colonel R.B. Roberts.
2 brigade: colonel A.C. Magilton.
3 brigade: colonel T.F. Gallagher (casualty), lieutenant colonel Robert Anderson.

2 bodies: general major Edwin Vose Sumner.

1 division: general major Israel Bush Richardson (killed), then general sergeant John Curtis Caldwell, then general sergeant Winfield Scott Hancock.

1 brigade: general sergeant John Curtis Caldwell.
2 brigade: general sergeant Thomas Francis Meagher, then colonel J. Burke.
3 brigade: colonel J.R. Brooke.

2 division: general major J. Sedgwick, then general sergeant Oliver Otis Howard.

1 brigade: general sergeant Willis Arnold Gorman.
2 brigade: general sergeant Oliver Otis Howard, then colonel J.T. Owen, then colonel De Witt C. Baxter.
3 brigade: general sergeant Napoleon Jackson Tecumseh Dana, then colonel N.J. Hall.

3 division: general sergeant William Henry French.

1 brigade: general sergeant Nathan Kimball.
2 brigade: colonel D. Morris.
3 brigade: general sergeant max Weber, then colonel J.W. Andrews.

4 bodies.

1 division: general major Darius Nash Couch.

1 brigade: general sergeant Charles Devens Jr.
2 brigade: general sergeant Albion Paris Howe.
3 brigade: general sergeant John Cochrane.

5 bodies: general major Fitz John To carry.

1 division: general major George Webb Morell.

1 brigade: colonel J. Barnes. (Does not take share with the combat)
2 brigade: general sergeant Charles Griffin.
3 brigade: colonel T.B.W. Stockton.

2 division: general sergeant George Sykes.

1 brigade: lieutenant colonel R.C. Buchanan.
2 brigade: major C.S. Lovell.
3 brigade: colonel G.K. Warren.

3 division: general sergeant Andrew Atkinson Humphreys.

1 brigade: general sergeant Erastus Bernard Tyler.
2 brigade: colonel P.H. Allabach.

6 bodies: general major William Franklin Buel.

1 division: general major Henry Warner Slocum.

1 brigade: colonel A.T.A. Torbert.
2 brigade: colonel J.J. Bartlett.
3 brigade: general sergeant John Newton.

2 division: general major William Farrar Smith.

1 brigade: general sergeant Winfield Scott Hancock, colonel A. Cobb.
2 brigade: general sergeant William Thomas Harbaugh Brooks.
3 brigade: colonel W.H. Irwin.

9 bodies: general major Ambrose Everett Burnside, then general major Jesse Lee Reno (killed), then general sergeant Jacob Dolson Cox.

1 division: general sergeant Bolivar Orlando Wilcox.

1 brigade: colonel B.C. Christ.
2 brigade: colonel T. Welsh.

2 division: general sergeant Samuel Davis Sturgis.

1 brigade: general sergeant James B. Nagle.
2 brigade: general sergeant Edward Ferrero.

3 division: general sergeant Isaac Peace Rodman (killed).

1 brigade: colonel H.S. Fairchild.
2 brigade: colonel E. Harland.

Kanawha Division: general sergeant Jacob Dolson Cox, then colonel E.P. Scammon

1 brigade: colonel E.P. Scammon, colonel H. Ewing.
2 brigade: colonel A. Moor (captured), colonel G. Crook.

12 bodies: general major Joseph King Fenno Mansfield (killed), general sergeant A.S. Williams.

1 division: general sergeant A.S. Williams, then general sergeant Samuel Wylie Crawford, then general sergeant George Henry Gordon.

1 brigade: general sergeant Samuel Wylie Crawford, then colonel J.F. Knipe.
3 brigade: general sergeant George Henry Gordon, then colonel T.H. Ruger.

2 division: general sergeant George Sears Greene.

1 brigade: lieutenant colonel H. Tyndale, then major O.J. Cranium, then captain F.A. Seymour.
2 brigade: colonel H.S. Stainrook.
3 brigade: colonel W.B. Goodrich (killed), lieutenant colonel J. Austin.

Division of cavalry: general sergeant Alfred Pleasonton.

1 brigade of cavalry: major C.J. Whiting.
2 brigade of cavalry: colonel J.F. Farnsworth.
3 brigade of cavalry: colonel R.H. Rush.
4 brigade of cavalry: colonel A.T. Mac Reynolds.
5 brigade of cavalry: colonel W.W. Averell.

Confederation:

Army of Virginia of North: general Robert Edward Lee

Body of the general major James Longstreet.

Division of general major Lafayette Mac Laws.

Brigade of the general sergeant Joseph Brevard Kershaw.
Brigade of the general sergeant Thomas Reade Rootes Cobb, then lieutenant colonel C.C. Sanders, then lieutenant colonel W. Mac Rae.
Brigade of the general sergeant Paul Jones Sow.
Brigade of the general sergeant William Barksdale.

Division of general major Richard Heron Anderson, then general sergeant Roger Atkinson Pryor.

Brigade of the general sergeant Cadmus Marcellus Wilcox: colonel A. Cumming, major H.A. Herbert.
Brigade of the general sergeant William Mahone: colonel W.A. Parham.
Brigade of the general sergeant Winfield Scott Featherston: colonel C. Posey.
Brigade of the general sergeant Lewis Addison Armistead, then colonel J.G. Hodges.
Brigade of the general sergeant Roger Atkinson Pryor.
Brigade of the general sergeant Ambrose Ransom Wright, then colonel R. Jones, then colonel W. Gibson.

Division of the general sergeant David Rumph Jones.

Brigade of the general sergeant Robert Augustus Toombs, then colonel H.L. Benning.
Brigade of the general sergeant Thomas Fenwick Drayton.
Brigade of the general sergeant George Edward Pickett: general sergeant R.B. Garnett.
Brigade of the general sergeant James Lawson Kemper.
Brigade of the general sergeant Micah Jenkins: colonel J. Walker.
Brigade of colonel G.T. Anderson.

Division of the general sergeant Joseph George Walker.

Brigade of the general sergeant Joseph George Walker: colonel Van H. Manning, then colonel E.D. Hall.
Brigade of the general sergeant Robert Ransom Jr.

Division of the general sergeant Beautiful John Hood.

Brigade of the general sergeant Beautiful John Hood: colonel W.T. Wofford.
Brigade of colonel Evander Mac Ivor Law.
Brigade of the general sergeant Nathan George Evans, then colonel P.F. Stevens.

Body of the general major Thomas Jonathan Jackson.

Division of general major Richard Stoddert Ewell: general sergeant Alexander Robert Lawton, then general sergeant Jubal Anderson Early.

Brigade of general sergeant A.R. Lawton: colonel M. Douglass (killed), then major J.H. Lowe, then colonel J.H. Lamar.
Brigade of the general sergeant Jubal Anderson Early, then colonel W. Smith.
Brigade of the general sergeant Isaac Ridgeway Trimble: colonel J.A. Walker.
Brigade of the general sergeant Harry Thompson Hays.

light Division: general major Ambrose Powell Hill.

Brigade of colonel J.H. Lane.
Brigade of the general sergeant Maxcy Gregg.
Brigade of the general sergeant Charles William Field: colonel J. Mr. Brockenbrough.
Brigade of the general sergeant James Jay Archer, then colonel P. Turney.
Brigade of the general sergeant William Dorsey Pender.
Brigade of colonel E.L. Thomas.

Division of general major T.J. Jackson: general sergeant John Robert Jones, then general sergeant William Edwin Starke (killed), then colonel A.G. Grisby.

Brigade of the general sergeant Charles Sidney Winder: colonel A.J. Grisby, lieutenant colonel R.D. Gardner, major H.J. Williams.
Brigade of Taliaferro: colonel E.H.T. Warren, then colonel J.W. Jackson, then colonel J.L. Sheffield.
Brigade of the general sergeant John Robert Jones: colonel B.T. Johnson, then captain J.E. PEN, then captain A.C. Page, then captain R.W. Whiters.
Brigade of the general sergeant William Edwin Starke, then colonel L.A. Stafford, then colonel E. Pendleton.

Division of general major Daniel Harvey Hill.

Brigade of the general sergeant Roswell Sabine Ripley.
Brigade of the general sergeant Robert Emmett Grind.
Brigade of the general sergeant Samuel Garland Jr. (killed), then colonel D.K. Mac Rae.
Brigade of the general sergeant George Burgwyn Anderson (killed), then colonel R.T. Bennett.
Brigade of colonel A.H. Colquitt.
Artillery of reserve: general sergeant William Nelson Pendleton.

Division of cavalry of general major James Ewell Brown Stuart.

Brigade of cavalry of the general sergeant Wade Hampton.
Brigade of cavalry of the general sergeant Fitzhugh Lee.
Brigade of cavalry of the general sergeant Beverly Holcombe Robertson: colonel T.T. Munford.

Context

The army confederated known as of the northern of Virginia of 40 000 men with a relatively old artillery of the general Robert E. Lee invades the Maryland in two columns. The first under its orders advances by occupying the strategic places as the collars of Blue Ridge while the second under “Stonewall” Jackson attacks and takes Harper' S Ferry and its garrison. Although having 10 000 men to defend it, the city is easily conquered what lets think that the commander would have betrayed. Jackson places a division under the orders of Ambrose P. Hill to gather the prisoners and makes go the remainder to join its chef.
Official federal discovered the plans of Lee in a box of cigars, but McClellan did not make more quickly advance her troops to attack divided Confédérés.

Battle

Lee deploys its army in the south of Sharpsbourg along the Antietam brook. McClellan has 87 000 soldiers at his disposal. It arrives opposite the 15. The Jackson following day joined Lee.

At dawn, on the right wing the artillery of the Union of the general major Joseph Hooker opens fire on the men of Jackson. Those attack but are pushed back by the Body of the general major Joseph Mansfield. The engagements take place in particular in a corn field and thickets.

In the center the men of the general major Edwin Sumner undergo raised losses, in particular the Irish, by attacking confederated of the general major Daniel H. Hill cut off in a boxed road.

On the left wing in the south east of the city troops of the general major Ambrose Burnside, 10 000 men are decimated by the 500 franc-tireurs of the Georgia of the brigade of Toombs to the passage of the bridge which they cross with 13:00 At the end of the afternoon they threaten to take Sharpsbourg and the forces of Lee with reverse. It is at this time that the light division of A.P. Hill takes them side, stopping their progression then pushing back them on other side of the brook.

Three thousand men died on the battle field; the federate ones had 12 410 soldiers out of combat and those of Dixie 10 700.

Continuations

Lee made retirement in Virginia continued by the new general of the Armée with Potomac, Burnside. It inflicted one to him shingling demolished with the Bataille of Fredericksburg, in December 1862.

The president Lincoln announced the abolition of slavery. He wanted to do it earlier but he awaited a victory not to appear to act as position of weakness.

The European powers are consolidated in their opinion that the South will not gain the war and abstain from intervening.

Bibliography

Antietam: The bloodiest day of the American Civil War , Frederic Naulet, Economica, 2005.

Sources

Bailey, Ronald H., and the Editors off Time-Life Books, The Bloodiest Day: The Battle off Antietam , Time-Life Books, 1984, ISBN 0-8094-4740-1.
Adhesive, J.R., '' History off Washington and Kent Counties, Rhode Island '', W.W. Preston & Co., 1889.
Eicher, David J., The Longest Night: In Military History off the Civil War , Simon & Schuster, 2001, ISBN 0-684-84944-5.
Esposito, Vincent J., '' West Point Atlas off American Wars '', Frederick A. Praeger, 1959.
Jamieson, Perry D., Death in September: The Antietam Campaign , McWhiney Foundation Near, 1999, ISBN 1-893114-07-4.
Kennedy, Frances H., ED., The Civil War Battlefield Guides , 2nd ED., Houghton Mifflin Co., 1998, ISBN 0-395-74012-6.
McPherson, James Mr., Crossroads off Freedom: Antietam, The Battle That Changed the Race off the Civil War , Oxford University Near, 2002, ISBN 0-19-513521-0.
Sears, Stephen W., Landscape Turned Red: The Battle off Antietam , Houghton Mifflin, 1983, ISBN 0-89919-172-X.
Tucker, Phillip Thomas, Burnside' S Bridge: The Climactic Struggle off the 2nd and 20th Georgia At Antietam Creek , Stackpole Books, 2000, ISBN 0-8117-0199-9.
Wolf, Robert S., " The Antietam Campaign" , Encyclopedia off the Civil American War: In Political, Social, and Military History , Heidler, David S., and Heidler, Jeanne T., eds., W.W. Norton & Company, 2000, ISBN 0-393-04758-X.
National Park Service battle description

Antietam with the cinema

the film Glory of Edward Zwick opens on the battle of Antietam.

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