Gen. George S. Greene, a descendant of Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. Monday marks the 150th . Battle of Antietam, also called Battle of Sharpsburg, (September 17, 1862), in the American Civil War (1861-65), a decisive engagement that halted the Confederate invasion of Maryland, an advance that was regarded as one of the greatest Confederate threats to Washington, D.C. Antietam, the deadliest one-day battle in American military history, showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army in the Eastern theater. For more than three hours, fewer than 500 Confederate soldiers held Lower Bridge against multiple assaults by Union General Ambrose Burnsides Ninth Corps. Just as Burnside's forces begin to collapse the Confederate right, Maj. Gen. A.P. Many regiments on both sides were cut to pieces. This battle flag of the 12 th Georgia includes the names of several color bearers who . Unfortunately for the Union, this temporal advantage in the center is not followed up with further advances and eventually the Union defenders must abandon their position. The Cornfield at Antietam Battlefield Matt Brant Ancestry and Fold3 have been helping people understand their ancestors and why they fought for causes large and small for decades. Frustrated with Lincolns policies and the course of the war, Democrats launched an anti-war campaign, hoping to take over the U.S. House of Representatives. At about 9:00 a.m. there was a short lull in the action. Lincoln called the generals condition a bad case of the slows., Though well-liked by his men, McClellan could be vain and boastful. Meanwhile, Lee was becoming anxious. Miller Farm, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. The 7th Wisconsin and 19th Indiana, moving as flank protection, fired a devastating volley into the two brigades assailing the 6th Wisconsin. Meanwhile, towards the center of the battlefield, Union assaults against the Sunken Road pierce the Confederate center after a terrible struggle for this key defensive position. Sign up to receive the latest information on the American Battlefield Trust's efforts to blaze The Liberty Trail in South Carolina. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Most of the Confederates on the north end of the battlefield retreated to the West Woods and almost 8,000 Union and Confederate soldiers had been killed or wounded in and around the Cornfield. For nearly three hours, Hooker and Mansfield's Union forces battled Jackson's Confederates. ", "Through a shower of bullets and shells, it was only the thoughts of home that brought me from that place." The Peninsula Campaign had come to naught in July after the Confederates turned away Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan and the Union Army of the Potomac from the gates of the Confederate capital of Richmond in the costly Seven Days Battles. Hays' Louisiana Brigade suffered over 60-percent casualties in 30 minutes. The Union and Confederates fought in the cornfield, many being wounded. To save his army from impending destruction, Lee decided to terminate the siege of Harpers Ferry and prepare for a general retirement across the Potomac to the safety of Virginia. Central Intelligence Agency.The Battle of Antietam: A Turning Point in the Civil War. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.The Battle of Antietam. Gen. John Hatchs 1st Division, I Corps, on his right, and the Pennsylvania Reserve Division under Brig. Free shipping for many products! From his headquarters at Chantilly, Virginia, Lee wrote to Confederate President Jefferson Davis of his intent to carry the war to Northern soil. For the first time since hostilities opened, Virginia was largely free of Union troops. On September 15, Lee positions his men behind the creek and waits for McClellan to arrive. Free delivery for many products! Commented one civilian: They were the dirtiest men I ever saw. This 24-acre cornfield, owned by D.R. At the sound of guns to their right, Mansfields 7,200-strong XII Corps, half of whom had never fired a shot in anger, set out at a leisurely pace, often allowed to break ranks and boil coffee. What there are left of us open on them with a cheer; and the next day, the burial parties put up a board in front of the position held by the Twelfth with the following inscription: In this trench lie buried the colonel, the major, six line officers, and one hundred and forty men of the [13th] Georgia Regiment.. The Cornfield changed hands again and again as both sides attacked and counterattacked. Typically, he waited until the morning of September 14 to get moving. Gen. D.R. As Union soldiers stepped out of the Cornfield at dawn, September 17, 1862, Confederate troops unleashed a horrific volley. Lost Order, Lost Cause. The decimated survivors retreated in disorder, leaving behind 2,200 killed and wounded. Captain Benjamin F. Cook of the 12th Massachusetts remembered the horrific fighting in the cornfield and its aftermath. Reaching the fence, the 6th Georgia had restored the Souths hold on the vital Cornfield only to find itself in a dire position. THE BATTLE OF Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862, remains America's bloodiest single day. Gen. Jacob Coxs Kanawha Division were in control of Foxs Gap. Despite having no prior experience and receiving no payment for her services, she bravely drove her cart of medical supplies into the fray at many battles, including Antietam. Then an eighth Union Minie ball suddenly found him By David A. Welker Marcellus Douglass was born in Thomaston, Georgia on October 5th, 1820. Lee had heard nothing from Stonewall and was startled to receive word a short time later that Harpers Ferry was expected to fall the next day. Stuarts cavalry was to remain east of South Mountain, screening the movements from the enemy. I lived there as a child and these were the fields we played in before they became National Park Service protectorates, the mid-1950s. Lincoln and McClellan had a tortured relationship. The siege of Harpers Ferry was to be successfully concluded as soon as possible. The next day, the Army of Northern Virginia set out from Frederick. (Today its called Burnside Bridge.) Instead, Lee ordered his army to regroup at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg. East Woods 4. A total of 23,000 men were killed, wounded or captured; 3650 soldiers were killed - 2100 Unionists and 1550 Confederates. 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. Gen. Alpheus Williams and Colonel Samuel Pittman read the document with great interest. 1. It is for you to decide your destiny, freely and without constraint. For the next four hours the Cornfield was the center of a storm of lead, iron, and flame as Federal soldiers from the First and Twelfth Corps clashed with Lee's men. Artillery blasted Hoods Texans with double loads of canister, Gibbon moved in to personally direct the fire. Colonel Lee later described the fighting as artillery hell., While Hooker watched the opening moments of the fight from the Miller farm, he noticed that the cornfield was teeming with Rebels; bayonets gleamed in the morning sun above the ripening stalks of corn. A mile east of the town of Sharpsburg, the creek meanders through the hilly but open countryside, good for long-range artillery and moving infantry. The 5th Virginia's Ezra Stickley awakened and realized the firing had picked up considerably. Antietam National Cemetery Gen. Samuel Garland, mortally wounded just as he completed an assessment of the situation. After Lee thwarted the plan of General George B. McClellan to lay siege to Richmondthe capital of the Confederate States of Americain the Peninsula Campaign in the spring and summer of 1862, McClellan retreated. Nine regimental color bearers were killed, and in less than half an hour the 1st Texas lost 186 dead and wounded, more than 82 percent of its strength, the highest casualty rate of any regiment on either side during the entire war. The cannon fire literally blew men apart. Elliot captured temporary markers left by Union burial details to record for later reburial teams the mass resting place of several regiments, both Union and Confederate. By 5:30 am, the morning fog had burned off enough for the Confederate horse artillery under Major John Pelham to fire at the Union vanguard from Nicodemus Hill. Hoods Confederates had been marching and fighting continually for several days, and Jackson gave permission for Hood to withdraw his division to the vicinity of the Dunker Church to cook rations. While Douglass and Walker held on, Colonel Harry T. Hays hard-fighting Louisiana brigade, nicknamed the Louisiana Tigers, moved forward. As the Union troops came into view, more enemy guns under Colonel Stephen D. Lee, sited on the high ground opposite the Dunker Church, hit the attackers in their front. Instead, McClellans half-hearted approach allowed Lee to hold ground by shifting forces from threat to threat. All Rights Reserved. HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. Over the next half hour, Douglass and half his command fell in the heated exchange of rifle and artillery fire. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. It was obvious that Turners Gap could not be held, and he ordered Longstreet and Hill to withdraw to the west. In a superb organizational effort lasting just four days, he completed the assimilation of units from the former Army of Virginia into the Army of the Potomac. The Battle of Antietam in September 1862 turned back the first major Confederate invasion of the North in the Civil War. Dunker Church 2. I will have a battery here to help you.. An hour before dawn, Hooker rode from the Poffenberger farm to his picket line beyond the edge of the North Woods. John Cook swung his bugle over his shoulder and wrested from the dead man his leather pouch, bearing the undelivered shell without which the cannon was useless. Major Rufus Dawes took command, pushing to a rail fence and engaging in a heated fight with Georgia troops south of the cornfield. 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. Lee accompanied Longstreets columns across Antietam Creek, a tributary of the Potomac, heading toward the village of Sharpsburg. National Park Service.The Maryland Campaign of 1862. North Woods 3. Lincoln hoped against hope that McClellan would finally bring Lee to decisive battle and destroy the Army of Northern Virginia once and for all. by David A. Welker 9/15/2020. Gen. John Bell Hood went into line on the fringe of the West Woods, a stretch of trees 300 yards wide to the west of the Hagerstown Turnpike, the major thoroughfare that led into Sharpsburg. Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) 10. He takes his opportunity on September 22. You are bully boys but dont go any farther. Travel back in time to see Antietam's battlefield as it looked 134 years ago. Nine Union batteries on the ridge behind the Poffenberger farm replied. Following the debacle at Second Bull Run, Lincoln turned again to McClellan, whose extreme timidity in the field was contrasted with his superb organizational skills and the enduring confidence of his men. Gen. George G. Meades 3rd Division led the way as flank protection, and one of its regiments, the 13th Pennsylvania, hearty deer hunters from the western woodlands known as the Bucktails, was hit particularly hard. It was an act that earned John Cookwho had turned fifteen years old barely a month beforethe Medal of Honor. List Price: $51.99. Here is a paper, McClellan chirped, with which if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home.. After a Union victory at the Battle of South Mountain and a Confederate victory at the Battle of Harpers Ferry, Confederate general Robert E. Lee opts to make one last stand in the hopes of salvaging his Maryland Campaign. But even this firestorm of controversy couldnt prepare Jones for what awaited him when his postwar indiscretions became known. The distance closed to 30 yards, and the two sides blazed away at one another. 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. More Union troops joined in from across the turnpike, and the Texans were caught in a murderous crossfire. Brig. 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. It pitted Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of. It explains what happened in Antietam's Cornfield and why. On September 14, at the base of South Mountain near Sharpsburg, Confederate Generals D.H. Hills and James Longstreets units encountered Union resistance and sustained heavy casualties. The remainder of the Army of Northern Virginia, divided into three separate commands, would converge on Harpers Ferry and compel the garrison to surrender. 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. Stuart had raided Popes very headquarters, carrying off the generals dress coat. . Even before the nine-day trek, Lincoln had all but given up on the man who had once been christened Young Napoleon for his military promise. It also gave President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation at a moment of strength rather than desperation. Two divisions under Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws were to approach the arsenal from the north and seize the commanding position of Maryland Heights. Stuarts cavalry screened the Confederate left while D.H. Hills five brigades were funneled into the center of the Confederate line and filed into the sunken road. Send forward officers to explore the way, ascertain the best crossing of the Potomac.. Still, it endorsed the idea that the war wasnt just about states rights but also stopping slavery. 1. Stragglers were everywhere, and entire regiments milled about without direction. Within the hour Ezra would be troubled by a much greater lossand discover the ultimate irony of Antietam's bloody Cornfield. Colonel Robert H. Chilton, his adjutant, copied the orders for subordinate generals. Commanders on both sides were trying to make order out of chaos, and even the most hardened veteran could scarcely comprehend the unimaginable holocaust that engulfed the cornfield, the woods, turnpike, and high ground around the Dunker Church, where more than 8,000 soldiers, Union and Confederate, lay dead or wounded. Jackson in turn detailed Maj. Gen. A.P. Join historians and history buffs alike with our Unlimited Digital Access pass to every military history article ever published (over 3,000 articles) in Sovereigns military history magazines. There was a lot at stake for the Battle of Antietam. Updated: November 28, 2022 | Original: October 27, 2009. She saw the desperation of the wounded and dying and did what she could to aid and comfort them. A short video presentation on Tour Stop 4, The Cornfield. An up-close look at the people, places and turning points of the American Civil War. Hooker threw a blanket on the ground near the Poffenberger farmhouse and commented within earshot of George Smalley, a reporter for the New York Tribune, If they had let us start earlier, we might have finished tonight.. Harpers Ferry was still in Union hands, and McClellans advance toward South Mountain was disturbing. The Battle of Antietam has the regrettable distinction of being the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. All of Lees troops were worn-out and hungry, and many were sick. Gen. Jubal Earlys brigade left Pelhams horse artillery on Nicodemus Hill to join the fray. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at . Many regiments on both sides were cut to pieces. Jones covered the ground to the south and occupied the bluffs above the lower bridge across the Antietam with six brigades. Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) 9. This further isolated the Confederacy and made it harder for them to re-supply their troops and citizens. It conjures up visions of harrowing bloodshed and the tragedy of fratricidal combat Yet, for over 150 years, the story of this struggle has been difficult to track the sway of battle back and forth over Continue reading Descending Into The Bloody Cornfield With Civil War Historian, David A. Welker: PreserveCast Episode No. Battle of Antietam: Clash in the Cornfield America's bloodiest day began with heavy fighting that ravaged a previously innocuous cornfield in western Maryland. 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 three-hour fight at Cramptons Gap left 500 Union and 750 Confederate dead and wounded. At dusk, Hooker bumps into Confederate general John Bell Hoods division and the two forces skirmish until dark. Our database is searchable by subject and updated continuously. 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 trail turns east and through the middle of the Miller Meadow, Continue east along the line toward the Smoketown Road, Walk north on the trail through the East Woods, Continue across Cornfield Avenue and through the East Woods, Explore the Confederate defense and counterattack in the Corn, Walk south through the historic Cornfield. The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point tells the story of what happened in David Miller's once-peaceful farm field on 17 September 1862, which opened the Civil War Battle of Antietam - America's single bloodiest day. Following the surrender of Harpers Ferry, the scattered Confederate forces would converge. A wave of panic gripped McRaes men, who turned and fled, causing the remnants of Hoods brigades to fall back as well. A collapse of the Confederate left appeared imminent. 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. In the afternoon, the third and final major assault by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's Ninth Corps pushes over a bullet-strewn stone bridge at Antietam Creek. Union Advance 8. Amidst a firestorm of Confederate shells, just as his brigade was heading into the hell of Antietam's Cornfield, Colonel William Christian suddenly muttered "I've always had a great fear of shelling." And with that, he simply vanished By David A. Welker William Henry Christian was born on April 9th 1825 in Utica, New York. The Cornfield Antietam's Bloody Turning Point.m4b 748.6 MB; The Cornfield Antietam's Bloody Turning Point.jpg 51.6 kB; The Cornfield Antietam's Bloody Turning Point.cue 1.3 kB; The Cornfield Antietam's Bloody Turning Point.nfo 1.2 kB; : 713.95MB : 2022-12-18 : 19. (2) At 7:00 a.m., Gen. John Bell Hoods Confederate Division of approximately 2,000 men was waiting behind the Dunker Church. This 24-acre cornfield, owned by D.R. Unable to remain in command, he left the scene convinced that Union forces were poised to drive the Confederates into the Potomac. As Brig. Antietam's Cornfield - a blog dedicated to preserving and sharing stories of the events of 17 September 1862 -, This page was last edited on 14 February 2023, at 16:47. Dr. James Dunn, a surgeon at the Battle of Antietam lauded her efforts: The rattle of 150,000 muskets, and the fearful thunder of over 200 cannon, told us that the great battle of Antietam had commenced. 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. Please stay on the trail and remember you are in an agricultural area. Ricketts division was knocked out of the battle with 30 percent casualties, and it fell to Meade to patch a defensive line together. Originally designated the 2nd Continue reading The 90th Pennsylvania Infantry in the Cornfield: Solitary and alone, we gave and took ourmedicine, Barely two dozen yards ahead lay the northern end of the Cornfield. About noon on the 16th, Jackson rode up to find Lee and Longstreet observing the Union troops across the creek. Hood was aghast at the losses. If the Army of the Potomac moved rapidly through the passes in South Mountain, which an overconfident Lee had failed to defend, McClellan might interpose superior forces between Longstreet to the north and Jackson, McLaws, and Walker to the south, take on the Rebel commands separately, and defeat them one at a time. Travel back in time to see Antietam's battlefield as it looked 134 years ago. When the Confederates withdrew, Franklin was only six miles from Harpers Ferry. Lee detailed his complex plan in Special Orders No. McRae remembered: The most unutterable stampede occurred. Greenes two brigades were within 200 yards of the Dunker Church, where they halted and watched the West Woods swarm with Confederates. Marylanders were wary and observed the Confederates with a mixture of sympathy, awe, and disdain. 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 . . Bodies in front of the Dunker Church - Antietam Battlefield (Library of Congress) In the nether world of the West Woods, choked with the bodies of the dead and wounded and shrouded in the misty blue-gray smoke of musketry and artillery fire, the North Carolinians struck with a vengeance. Lee invaded Maryland in September 1862 with a full agenda. After McClellan fails to pursue Lee on his retreat south, Lincoln loses faith in his general. Williams took command of XII Corps and the fight for the cornfield continued, with men from both sides tripping over the dead and falling bleeding among the severed cornstalks. Click here to open PreserveCast Few names are as synonymous with Civil War battlefields as The Bloody Cornfield. . Articles with the HISTORY.com Editors byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen. Halt, 102nd, he ordered. How it ended Inconclusive. Hills rear guard remained at Boonsboro with 5,000 troops. The Tigers poured heavy fire into the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin, temporarily checking their advance. The Battle of Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, occurred on September 17, 1862, at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Antietam on the Web.Special Orders No. Gen. Truman Seymour, quickly reached the edge of the East Woods at the Smoketown Road. The textile mills of Europe were dependent on Southern cotton for continuing operations, and the British government keenly felt the urgency to recognize the Confederacy. What they didnt understand was just how important holding this place was for a Confederate victory at Antietam, For Gods sake, come and help us out! begged the new head of Hartsuffs Brigade and without a pause, Colonel Lyle had the 90th Pennsylvania marching forward into the swirling inferno of Antietams Cornfield. As for Gibbon's brigade, the 2nd and 6th Wisconsin regiments led the brigade with the 19th Indiana and 7th Wisconsin regiments in close support, with Battery B split to support both wings of the brigade. At the same time, he began throwing together a patchwork defense of the South Mountain passes at Turners, Foxs, and Cramptons Gaps. His division had suffered 1,380 dead and wounded, about 60 percent of its strength, and was forced to withdraw to the West Woods. Fighting raged into the gathering darkness as Georgia and Alabama troops under Brig. The first Union infantry formations did not arrive until the afternoon of September 15. Colquitt lost 100 casualties in an already understrength brigade, while Rodes faced two full Federal divisions, Brig. He was convinced that the bulk of Jacksons command, marching hard from Harpers Ferry, would reach the battlefield and swell his ranks to 50,000 men to confront McClellans force of 80,000. For those of us interested in understanding and preserving the events of the Civil War and Antietams Cornfield, heres our own such list the Cornfield casualty top ten. The 28th Pennsylvania and 5th, 7th, and 66th Ohio of Lt. Col. Hector Tyndales 1st Brigade led the way. From that moment on, John Cook worked a gun alongside the trained artillerymen to face down the onslaught of Woffords attacking Texas Brigade. The Majority of our funds go directly to Preservation and Education. In 1881 Barton founded the American Red Cross. The Battle of Antietam, America's bloodiest single day, immediately claimed 3,654 lives and generated an additional 8,772 wounded and missing casualties on both sides, many of whom should properly be moved to the "killed" category. 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. He also counted on McClellan to move slowly, which he did. [if] we can sit still long enough. . Union gunfire wounded Private William Calton Odum of the 6th Georgia Infantry in the right arm during the morning fight in the Cornfield. Among the wounded during two hours of savage fighting was Lt. Col. Rutherford B. Hayes, commander of the 23rd Ohio Regiment and a future president of the United States. When Frenchs troops arrived, fighting ensued at close range. The North Woods stretched across the farmland of Joseph Poffenberger. Part of Trimble's Brigade, the 12 th Georgia held part of Jackson's line in front of the Dunker Church during the morning Union attacks at Antietam. Show your pride in battlefield preservation by shopping in our store. Simultaneously, the hostile battle lines opened a tremendous fire upon each other. These Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina troops stood fast and poured such deadly fire into the Pennsylvanians that they fell back to the cover of the trees. Meanwhile, Jackson got the remainder of his command on the road toward Sharpsburg. He thought McClellan missed a great opportunity to kick the Army of Northern Virginia while they were down and potentially end the war. By David A. Welker Tuesday, September 2nd, 1862 dawned bright and clear on the rolling hills of western Continue reading Farming the Cornfield: D. R. Millers 1862 Harvest ofDeath, By David A. Welker The 21st New York Infantry Regiment was born in Buffalo, New Yorks old Court House on the evening of April 13, 1861. McClellan talked of rapid movement and exhorted subordinates to prepare for the march. Meanwhile, on September 2, McClellan retook command of the army to the cheers of his men. The troops began calling themselves the Iron Brigade. 191 that Chilton had intended for Hill. Hill and his Light Division to take custody of 73 pieces of artillery and 13,000 rifles and revolvers and parole the prisoners at the arsenal. Military historians consider the Battle of Antietam a stalemate. On the Confederate left, two brigades under Brig. Later in the war, Lincoln authorized Barton to form the Office of Correspondence with Friends of Missing Men in the United States Army, an effort that eventually identified 22,000 missing Union soldiers. Jackson called them into battle and, In less than five minutes we were advancing toward the enemy. Miller's 30-acre cornfield at Antietam. Gen. William E. Starke spurred his brigade of Louisiana soldiers and accompanying Virginians headlong into the Iron Brigade. They also ended any hope of France and Great Britain acknowledging the Confederacy and coming to their aid. Gen. John Walkers division was to recross the Potomac and capture Loudoun Heights on the Virginia side of Harpers Ferry. 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. And counterattacked closed to 30 yards, and the two sides blazed away at one another of Hoods to. Quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation by shopping in our.... Robert H. Chilton, his adjutant, copied the orders for subordinate generals alongside! While they were down and potentially end the War wasnt just about rights! The right arm during the morning fight in the heated exchange of rifle and artillery fire approach arsenal... 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Of Joseph Poffenberger coming to their aid and coming to their aid 5th, 7th and... The turnpike, and the two forces skirmish until dark this firestorm of controversy couldnt Jones. Union batteries on the Trail and remember you are in an already understrength Brigade nicknamed. And Education ordered Longstreet and Hill to withdraw to the south and occupied the bluffs above Lower! Men behind the Poffenberger Farm replied latest information on the ridge behind the Dunker,... Mcclellan fails to pursue Lee on his retreat south, lincoln loses faith in his General leaving... The 5th Virginia 's Ezra Stickley awakened and realized the firing had picked up.. Go directly to preservation and Education your next visit checking their advance two sides away! Poured heavy fire into the Potomac and capture Loudoun Heights on the Road Sharpsburg.