Its authenticity was confirmed when Pittman noted Chiltons signature and recognized the handwriting of Lees adjutant, with whom he had served before the war. Gen. John Gibbon, commander of the 4th Brigade, I Corps. I feel Gen. M. should have no problem.. Here is their shared story By David A. Welker Werner Von Bachelle Continue reading Captain Von Bachelle and his canine friend sacrifice all in theCornfield. Two divisions under Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws were to approach the arsenal from the north and seize the commanding position of Maryland Heights. 191, dated September 9. One soldier remembered: "The air seems full of leaden missiles. Jackson summoned his last reserves, the 2,300 men of Hoods division. Miller's Cornfield (usually referred to as 'the Cornfield') is a section of the Antietam battlefield of the American Civil War. Doctors at the scene are overwhelmed. Lieutenant James Wilson, a member of McClellans staff, observed, Nobody seemed to be in a hurry. One of his junior officers observed a large Union formation moving to the right. Following the Confederate triumph at Second Bull Run, British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston had observed that the Union forces had received a very complete smashing. If Lees remarkable run of success continued, said Palmerston, Would it not be time for us to consider whether in such a state of things England and France might not address the contending parties and recommend an arrangement on the basis of separation?, For all those reasons, the stakes were extremely high when the Army of Northern Virginia reached Whites Ford on the banks of the Potomac River on September 4 and 55,000 hungry troops stripped off their ragged clothes and began wading into Maryland. This article appears in: Early Fall 2014 By Michael E. Haskew The White House was a somber place in the summer of 1862. At that moment it must have entered the minds of the men of the 1st Texas that it might just be possible to break the Yankees hold on this spot, if only they could reach it in time By David A. Welker The Continue reading The 1st Texas Infantry in the Cornfield: Slipping theBridle, You may have heard the story of Werner Von Bachelle and his beloved dog, who shared their lives and met their respective fates in Antietams Cornfield. By 9:30 a.m. thousands of them lay dead and dying. East of the turnpike lay the prosperous farm of David R. Miller, including the house, outbuildings, orchard, and a 24-acre field of ripening corn, grown taller than a mans head and nearly ready for harvest. Rifles are shot to pieces in the hands of soldiers, canteens and haversacks are riddled with bullets, the dead and wounded go down in scores. Just eight hours in, there were over 15,000 casualties. 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. 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. After McClellan fails to pursue Lee on his retreat south, Lincoln loses faith in his general. The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point By David A. Welker Casemate, 2020, $34.95. 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. The fighting was so gory Sunken Road earned a new name: Bloody Lane. One soldier of the 6th Wisconsin captured the essence of that horrific morning. Halt where you are. Just then, an enemy sharpshooter put a bullet through Hookers foot, which bled profusely. Fearful that his untried troops would break and run, Mansfield countermanded an order to deploy from columns into line of battle, and the massed ranks became a prime target for Confederate artillery. Hood, however, was unable to consolidate his gains. The 12th Massachusetts had 224 of its 334 soldiers shot down, a casualty rate of 67 percent that was the highest of any Union regiment on the field. There are more than 22,000 casualties at the Battle of Antietam. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. The following morning, McClellan attacks. In August of 2021, the Park Service rerouted the Cornfield Trail to include more of East Woods and . The dejected Lee ordered Jackson to march to Shepherdstown to cover the withdrawal of Longstreets force. Western Maryland did not rally to the Stars and Bars. Lee prodded Jackson and McLaws to wrap up their work at Harpers Ferry. A recently discovered 1864 map suggests the Cornfield's human cost was even greater than previously understood, among other new insights it reveals about the men who fought in and around David Millers deadly Cornfield. Certainly McClellans opportunity was great. .In my feeble estimation, General McClellan, with all his laurels, sinks into insignificance beside the true heroine of the age, the angel of the battle field. 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.. 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. Greenes 2nd Brigade, under Colonel Henry J. Stainrook, reached the Smoketown Road and unhinged the Confederate right flank. 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. Men laughed and giggled, screamed and cried. Six generals were killed or mortally wounded, three from the Union army and three Confederates. 6731 Whittier Avenue, Suite C-100 McLean, VA 22101, Stay up to date with all of our latest news, If successful in Maryland, the army might venture into Pennsylvania, destroy the vital Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge across the Susquehanna River, and threaten the state capital of Harrisburg. As Longstreets men began trudging toward Sharpsburg, Lee reversed his earlier order. Greene rode forward and warned the New Yorkers to slow down before they outran covering artillery. This is that story By David A. Welker Born on 26 June 1819 in Ballston Spa, New York to Ulysses F. and Hester (Donnelly) Doubleday, Abner joined a respected family with deep ties to Continue reading Abner Doubleday in Antietams Cornfield: No Day in the (Baseball)Park, The 1st Georgia Regulars Sergeant William Andrews and the 1st Minnesotas Sergeant Sam Bloomer traveled from very different worlds, and over many miles, to share a moment of grace and humanity amidst the terror of Antietams bloody Cornfield. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Cornfield: Antietams Bloody Tur., Welker, David A New Book at the best online prices at eBay! Gibbons Iron Brigade plowed down the Hagerstown Turnpike toward the cornfield and the West Woods. Antietam on the Web. One Union officer saw an arm go 30 feet in the air and fall back again. The fighting was desperate as the Confederate tide surged forward. I will have a battery here to help you.. He tended to details while three of Jacksons footsore divisions began trickling into the vicinity. Abner Doubleday may not have invented baseball, but his actions amidst Antietams deadly Cornfield rightly cement his place in American history. Subscribe to the American Battlefield Trust's quarterly email series of curated stories for the curious-minded sort! Racing 150 yards ahead of the units on either side, the whooping Texans came within 30 yards of the Pennsylvanians, who rested their rifles on the lowest fence rails and fired a withering volley at the legs of the onrushing Rebels, shrouded in the thick smoke of battle. 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. In less than fifteen we were sending and receiving death missiles by the bushel. Hoods men drove north, forcing the First Corps back across the Cornfield. He takes his opportunity on September 22. And when Lee heard a copy of Special Order 191 was missing, he knew his scattered army was vulnerable and rushed to reunite its units. 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. Updated: November 28, 2022 | Original: October 27, 2009. It was an act that earned John Cookwho had turned fifteen years old barely a month beforethe Medal of Honor. Why is nurse Clara Barton considered a hero of Antietam? Antietam's opening fight turned a field of crops into a scene of slaughter. 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. Antietam National Cemetery The ensuing delay was costly, and before the brigades could rally it was too late to help Duryea. Great job. The proclamation, Lincoln hoped, would add a moral dimension to the war besides the preservation of the Union. Gen. Abram Duryeas 1st Brigade, stepped off to Gibbons left. Pvt. Jackson called them into battle and, In less than five minutes we were advancing toward the enemy. Two divisions of Sumners corps, commanded by Brig. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. For nearly three hours, Hooker and Mansfield's Union forces battled Jackson's Confederates. Forward, guide centre, halt. In a letter to his wife, Mary, Lincoln joked, We are about to be photographed. Alfred Colquitt and Robert Rodes fought desperately to hold the pass. events, and resources, Battle of Antietam: Clash in the Cornfield. Artillery blasted Hoods Texans with double loads of canister, Gibbon moved in to personally direct the fire. For the first time since hostilities opened, Virginia was largely free of Union troops. 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. Mumma Farm and Cemetery 7. The Proclamation, which vows to free the slaves of all states still in rebellion as of January 1, 1863, will forever change the course of the war and the nation by marrying the Union cause with an attack on the institution of slavery. Hills rear guard remained at Boonsboro with 5,000 troops. Meanwhile, Lee was becoming anxious. One amazed Confederate artilleryman saw columns of enemy soldiers stretching into the distance and remarked that they were so numerous that it looked as if they were creeping up out of the ground.. The 12-hour clash created 21,699 casualties, killed 3,654, and turned many innocuous spots around quiet Sharpsburg, Maryland into national icons of death and suffering, including the Burnside Bridge, the Sunken Road, the West Woods, and the Cornfield . You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Donate Now Jefferson County, WV|Sep 12-15, 1862, Frederick County and Washington County, MD|Sep 14, 1862, Washington County, MD|Sep 16-18, 1862, Town of Shepherdstown, WV|Sep 19-20, 1862, Washington County, MD | September 17, 1862. While Douglass and Walker held on, Colonel Harry T. Hays hard-fighting Louisiana brigade, nicknamed the Louisiana Tigers, moved forward. 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. Learn more about the D.R. 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. Walker lost 228 of his 700 soldiers and was forced to retire. Badly needed supplies are brought in by nurse Clara Barton, known as the Angel of the Battlefield. During the night, both armies tend their wounded and consolidate their lines. From his point of view, hed accomplished his mission of forcing Lees troops from Maryland and preventing a Confederate win on Union soil. He could not understand why his general was not on the tail of the Confederates, and he went to McClellans headquarters at Antietam to light a fire under him. The injured limb had to be amputated, but he lived until 1898. Lt. Col. Robert Andersons 3rd Brigade, four regiments of Pennsylvania Reserves, crouched low behind a rail fence at the northern end of the cornfield and waited. 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. McClellans plan of attack depended on coordination and timing all along the line. As the reliable Battery B, 4th U.S. The American Battlefield Trust and our members have saved more than 56,000 acres in 25 states! It was obvious to the Union veterans that the area had recently served as a Rebel bivouac. Strategically, Lees decision to invade the North made sense. Gathering up his gearEzra discovered hed misplaced the right glove of his newly-purchased pair, a loss that troubled him considerably. Spotting Mansfields tightly packed troops, Hoods men fired on the 10th Maine Regiment. To further complicate matters, Republicans faced midterm elections in November of 1862, and their victory wasnt in the bag. Kop sent the order farther up the chain to Colonel Silas Colgrove, the commander of the 27th Indiana, who went directly to XII Corps headquarters, where Brig. 191 that Chilton had intended for Hill. Gen. Samuel Sturgis, one of his division commanders, Hallo, Sam, I am dead! Within minutes, Reno proved as good as his word. Despite heavy losses and tenacious resistance, Doubleday had driven deeply into Jacksons line. Marylanders were wary and observed the Confederates with a mixture of sympathy, awe, and disdain. But even this firestorm of controversy couldnt prepare Jones for what awaited him when his postwar indiscretions became known. 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 1st Texas, under Colonel P.A. Lees back was to the Potomac, and only Botelers Ford at Shepherdstown offered a clear avenue of escape across the river if the Confederates were driven from the field. The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point tells for the first time the full story of the exciting struggle to control "the Cornfield," the action on which the costly battle of Antietam turned, in a thorough yet readable narrative. Lee planned to retreat to Virginia, but changed his mind after hearing Confederate General Thomas Jonathan Jacksonbetter known as Stonewall Jacksonhad captured Harpers Ferry. [if] we can sit still long enough. The distance between the blue and gray lines was less than 250 yards. It was one of those marvelous flights that beggar explanation or description.. Gen. Jubal Earlys brigade left Pelhams horse artillery on Nicodemus Hill to join the fray. 126, May 18,2020, The Cornfield Inside the Action at Antietams Bloody TurningPoint, Abner Doubleday in Antietams Cornfield: No Day in the (Baseball)Park, Garlands Brigade at the Cornfield: The Death of a Reputationand MuchMore, The 88th Pennsylvania at Antietam: A Cornfield Invalid SavesWashington, Farming the Cornfield: D. R. Millers 1862 Harvest ofDeath, Buffalo in the Cornfield: The 21st New York atAntietam, Claimed by the Cornfield: Georgias Colonel MarcellusDouglass, Cowards in the Cornfield? Captain Benjamin F. Cook of the 12th Massachusetts remembered the horrific fighting in the cornfield and its aftermath. Stay up-to-date on our FREE educational resources & professional development opportunities, all designed to support your work teaching American history. Because Federal and Confederate forces . 2. Three hours later, Union troops had pushed the Confederates back and over 5,000 men were either dead or injured. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for NAMING THE EASTERN SIERRA By Marguerite Sowaal Dirty Sock to Bloody Canyon 1985 at the best online prices at eBay! Hooker ordered four batteries to unlimber. A major victory on Northern soil would allow Lee to menace Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even Washington. Colquitt lost 100 casualties in an already understrength brigade, while Rodes faced two full Federal divisions, Brig. National Park Service pamphlet The Cornfield Trail - September Harvest of Death, pp. Lt. Col. Edward Bragg of the 6th Wisconsin was wounded as the regiment was hit in both flanks. Inconclusive. The single, bloodiest day in American History had begun in earnest. The 5th Virginia's Ezra Stickley awakened and realized the firing had picked up considerably. The smoke and fog lift; and almost at our feet, concealed in a hollow behind a demolished fence, lies a rebel brigade pouring into our ranks the most deadly fire of the war. Casualties were fearful. Lee issued a proclamation to the people of Maryland inviting them to join the Southern cause. Here is a paper, McClellan chirped, with which if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home.. Greenes two brigades were within 200 yards of the Dunker Church, where they halted and watched the West Woods swarm with Confederates. . "Battle of Antietam: Carnage in a Cornfield", "cwla - Antietam Modern Image Gallery 11 Frame", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Miller%27s_Cornfield&oldid=1139340604, Battlefields of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. By the 7th, the army was completely across the Potomac and camped in the vicinity of Frederick. Final Attack 11. Within minutes, Doubledays hard-won progress was completely reversed. 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. Lee had no illusions of holding the gaps for an extended period, but any delay in the Union advance might allow the Army of Northern Virginia to escape destruction. The Most Terrible Clash of Arms The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point tells for the first time the full story of the exciting struggle to control "the Cornfield," the action on which the costly battle of Antietam turned, in a thorough yet readable narrative. Six weeks after Antietam, McClellan finally heeded his bosss advice and led the Army of the Potomac into Virginia, but at a snails pace. The Unions claim of victory at Antietam and Lincolns Emancipation Proclamation are thought to be why Republicans held the House in the 1862 mid-term elections. Mansfield spluttered, Yes, yes, you are right. Precisely at that moment a bullet hit the 58-year-old general squarely in the chest. McClellans letters reveal his contempt for his commander-in-chief (whom he sometimes referred to as the Gorilla), and the historical record shows that as the war slogged on, Lincoln became increasingly frustrated with his generals timidity and excuses. If either effort made good progress, McClellan was prepared to pitch every available soldier against the center of Lees line. The Battle of Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, occurred on September 17, 1862, at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Had Franklin overwhelmed McLaws and marched hard for Harpers Ferry, he might have lifted the siege and checked any subsequent movement by Jackson. See, yonders a whole brigade! I ordered him to keep silent and return to his placebut, when this act of indiscretion occurred, they began to break and run By Continue reading Garlands Brigade at the Cornfield: The Death of a Reputationand MuchMore, Now was the moment of truth for Major George Gile and his new command, the 88th Pennsylvania. Civil War Trust.The Peninsula Campaign. 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. Commence, firing! And with that the 88th Pennsylvania entered the fight for Antietams Cornfield By David A. Welker The 88th Pennsylvania Continue reading The 88th Pennsylvania at Antietam: A Cornfield Invalid SavesWashington, With the sun glistening off rainwater on the tall, waving cornstalks this clear September morning, David Miller could have no way of knowing that soon his cornfield would become the most dangerous place to be on earth. While Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia were indeed triumphant, the Confederate commander realized all too well that his gains were temporary; he needed to undertake a bold stroke while the opportunity still presented itself. The Union formation that panicked the Confederates in the East Woods was Mansfields 2nd Division under 61-year-old Brig. 1. Still, it endorsed the idea that the war wasnt just about states rights but also stopping slavery. Send Students on School Field Trips to Battlefields Your Gift Tripled! Jones covered the ground to the south and occupied the bluffs above the lower bridge across the Antietam with six brigades. Instead, Lee ordered his army to regroup at Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg. The next day, the Army of Northern Virginia set out from Frederick. In his later report, Hooker noted, In the time that I am writing, every stalk of corn in the northern and greater part of the field was cut as closely as could have been done with a knife, and the slain lay in rows precisely as they had stood in their ranks a few moments before. Late in the afternoon, reinforcements from Longstreet began to arrive. It is remembered as the site of some of the most savage fighting of the Battle of Antietam, which itself was the bloodiest single-day action of the Civil War. Miller's Cornfield (usually referred to as 'the Cornfield') is a section of the Antietam battlefield of the American Civil War . Late that evening and on September 19, after realizing that no further attacks are coming from McClellan, Lee withdraws from the battlefield and slips back across the Potomac into Virginia. Battle of Antietam: Clash in the Cornfield America's bloodiest day began with heavy fighting that ravaged a previously innocuous cornfield in western Maryland. He recorded the hand-hewn grave markers and headstones bearing names of a few of the fallen, created in Antietam's immediate aftermath by friends and brothers. Late on the afternoon of the 16th, Hooker crossed Antietam Creek intending to position more than 8,000 Union troops to launch the attack the following morning. During the course of the morning, the cornfield, a space 250 yards long and 400 yards wide, changed hands 15 times. This 24-acre cornfield, owned by D.R. When Lees order reached Jackson, he dutifully prepared another copy for Hill, his brother-in-law, unaware that Chilton had included Hill among those receiving the order directly from Lee. The Confederates lost one of their most promising brigade commanders, Brig. It is for you to decide your destiny, freely and without constraint. Gen. John Hatchs 1st Division, I Corps, on his right, and the Pennsylvania Reserve Division under Brig. 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. 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. Reinforcements from Longstreet tried to stem the tide but were driven back. War fever was high that nightthe day before Confederate forces had fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston harborand some 102 men volunteered their services to New York State for Continue reading Buffalo in the Cornfield: The 21st New York atAntietam, With his brigade locked in a nearly point-blank fight on the southern end of Antietams Cornfield, Colonel Douglass had already been wounded seven times but remained in command. In 20 minutes of fighting, Duryea lost 300 men. Because Federal and Confederate forces repeatedly traded control of the spot, the fight for the Cornfield is a story of human struggle against fearful . Miller, saw some of U.S. history's most horrific fighting. About half a mile on the other side of the Hagerstown Turnpike, the East Woods flanked the Smoketown Road, which joined the turnpike at an acute angle. 12. On September 15, Lee positions his men behind the creek and waits for McClellan to arrive. After the battle, photographer Alexander Gardner photographed their corpses, twisted and contorted into grotesque positions, lying unburied in the summer sun. 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. Hoods division roared out of the West Woods, around the Dunker Church, and through a gap in the fence along the Hagerstown Turnpike, pitching furiously into the Iron Brigade. Starke, shot three times, died on the field. When another officer asked the whereabouts of his division, he replied sorrowfully, Dead on the field.. The Battle of Antietam in September 1862 turned back the first major Confederate invasion of the North in the Civil War. Go to the next tour stop - the West Woods Just as Burnside's forces begin to collapse the Confederate right, Maj. Gen. A.P. 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