The Civil War Page 2

Lee

After ninety days of success, to include a complete victory at second Manassas, in early September 1862, Lee crosses the Potomac bringing his army into Maryland. His intentions are bold and multifaceted. He intends to win a major battle on Northern soil, he hopes to recruit the hearts and minds of Marylanders sympathetic to the Confederate cause, and he also wishes to gain the acceptance of Europe, thus opening the possibilty of Foreign support and trade.While camped just south of Frederick, Lee makes three copies of his battle order #191. He then moves north towards the gaps at South Mountain, not realizing that one of the copies of the battle order was lost. Mc Clellan, moving north from Washington, finds the lost copy of Lee's Battle Order. With this unbelievable find, Mc Clellan and his army of more than 90,000 rest in Frederick rather than pursuing Lee immediately. Lee, realizing his fate, must react to block Mc Clellan and regroup the Confederate Army, which was seperated into three parts. He decides the blocking action will take place in the gaps along South Mountain,(Crampton's, Fox, and Turner). He calls for Longstreet, who by now is above Haggarstown, and he calls for "Stonewall" Jackson to take the Garrison at Harper's Ferry and march immediately to join him on the banks of the Antietam Creek - Sharpsburg, Maryland. Lee knows that Mc Clellan will be tactfully cautious and he (Lee) has confidence that even though Mc Clellan knows the entire Battle plan, the administratively talented yet timid general will wait.

McClellan

Jackson

Burnside

Sharpsburg War Council

by Mort Kunstler

Shown here, on the evening of September 17, 1862 after The Battle of Sharpsburg, Lee meets with his General staff to assess the damage and plan for the following day.

The Battle of Sharpsburg

On the morning of September 17, 1862, at approx. 6:05 am, shots rang out on the north end of Miller's Cornfield, commencing what would be later defined as carnage in the highest degree. The battle rages on through the morning, and rests at the beginning of the afternoon on the middle of the battlefield in a Wagon-rutted alleyway called "The Bloody Lane." Here the carnage continues, until later in the day when Mc Clellan orders General Burnside to take the lower bridge at the southwestern corner of the battlefield, now called after its namesake, "Burnside's Bridge." Late in the day, A.P. Hill force marches his men 17 miles from Harper's Ferry to Lee's right flank in the fields above the bridge. Burnside, finally crossing the bridge, brings his inexperienced New Englanders to the crest of the hill above the creek, now attempting to roll up Lee's right flank. At that moment, A.P. Hill arrives, and the third phase of battle is fought. At the end of the day, more than 23,000 casualties are assessed; the dead, the wounded, and the missing will account for America's bloodiest day. On the morning of the 18th, both armies are poised to resume the horror, and yet they both seem uneager to commit. Throughout the day that remains the posture and on the evening of the 18th, Lee begins to withdraw his army across the Potomac at Shepardstown, thus ending the enormous struggle to win victory in the North.

Confederate dead along the Haggarstown Pike, Looking North. These and other photographs were the beginning of Combat Photography. Until these photos were seen, on display in New York, only battlefield sketches and first hand stories brought the picture of the Civil War home. These photographs brought many citizens to their knees with the reality of war.

The yellow arrow points to the approximate point where photographer Matthew Brady set his camera, circa mid-morning on September 19, 1862.

Burnside's Bridge

Photo by: Mike Kreman a Palladium Print #1/750

From the banks overlooking the Rohrbach bridge, now known as Burnside's bridge, Toomb's brigade of Georgians, approximately 550 men held over 11,000 union men under Major General Ambrose E. Burnside from crossing the span until mid-afternoon. During the course of battle Burnside sent wave after wave of men to take the bridge only to have them repulsed by the galling fire from the Confederate position overlooking the creek.

Approx. 22" X 17" Custom Black Lacquer Frame Floated white double matte with cut-out featuring an actual miniball flattened by impact with the bridge, Sept. 17, 1862.
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