The Battle of Antietam took place along the peaceful Antietam Creek in western Maryland on September 17, 1862. On that calm foggy September morning, chaos erupted amidst now-famous landmarks such as Dunker Church, the Cornfield, Bloody Lane, and Burnside’s Bridge. This battle was the bloodiest single day on American soil- over 22,000 men were killed, wounded, or missing when fighting ended that evening. Today, Antietam National Battlefield offers visitors a unique opportunity to experience one of the most remarkably well-preserved battlefields in the world.
History
On August 30, 1862, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia under command of General Robert E. Lee earned a victory at the Battle of Second Bull Run. To capitalize on that win, Lee decided to quickly move his force of ~55,000 troops into Maryland in hopes of bringing the war to the north (literally), gain international recognition for the southern war effort, and forage for food to sustain his men. On September 3rd, the Army of Northern Virginia crossed into Maryland proudly singing “Maryland, my Maryland.” But despite their excitement and hope that those in this border state would flock to the Confederate standard, General Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia were in for a grueling few weeks.
There is an age-old adage to never divide your army in the face of a superior force; however, General Lee liked his chances and did just that. He split the Army of Northern Virginia and sent a faction towards the riverside town of Harper’s Ferry and took the remainder of his army towards Hagerstown, Maryland. Unfortunately, a copy of this detailed battle plan (known as Special Order 191), was discovered by the Union Army. In one of the most fascinating twists of the American Civil War, two Union soldiers of the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry discovered a copy of Lee’s battle plans wrapped around three cigars, which were accidentally lost and left behind by the rapidly moving Confederate Army. If Union General George McClellan acted quickly, he could isolate and destroy portion of Lee’s army (a considerably smaller force) and potentially bring a swift end to the war.
As the Union Army of the Potomac, with a strength of ~87,000 men, chased down General Lee and his army, they were slowed by Confederate defensive actions amidst two crucial mountain passes in western Maryland (to include the Battle of South Mountain). This provided Lee crucial time to concentrate his forces around the town of Sharpsburg, located along the meandering Antietam Creek. By September 16th, both armies were poised for battle; however, General McClellan displayed his usual caution and delayed the attack, believing that General Lee had nearly 100,000 troops available (in reality, McClellan faced a Confederate force of only ~38,000).
In the early morning hours of September 17, 1862, the first phase of the Battle of Antietam began. It was about 5:30 AM when Union General Joseph Hooker advanced the I Corps down the Hagerstown Pike towards a plateau, which sat the now-famous Dunker Church. This attack pitted approximately 8,600 men of Hooker’s command (under Doubleday, Ricketts, and Meade) against Confederate General “Stonewall” Jackson and his 7,000 men.
Between 5:30 – 7:30 AM, vicious fighting erupted in the cornfield, west woods, and east woods. A booming artillery duel accompanied this fighting, as a Confederate battery positioned on a rise across the Hagerstown Pike from Dunker Church opened up on the advancing Union troops.
Within a short time, the corn field became a scene of savage hand-to-hand fighting and close-range gun fire. The air was thick with smoke and the screams of dying men, as the armies of Generals Hooker and Jackson duked it out. After a few back and forth surges (it is believed that the cornfield changed hands upwards of 15 times that morning), accompanied by the timely arrival of reinforcements for both sides, the bloody engagement in the cornfield settled into a bitter stalemate.
By midday, fighting shifted to the south and intensified near the center of the Confederate line. Southern troops under command of General D. H. Hill were fortified along an old dirt pathway known as the “sunken road,” so named because after years of wagons passing through, the road quite literally sunk down and created a long trench in this area. By 9:30 AM, French’s Union Division marched southward and engaged with Confederate pickets- the second phase of the battle had begun. Over the next hour, Union forces launched a series of attacks against the Confederate line at the Sunken Road, but were repulsed with much bloodshed.
For nearly three hours, Union and Confederate soldiers exchanged volleys at point blank range near the Sunken Road- it was truly a desperate morning of death and despair. One of the many notable moments during this phase of the battle was the advance of 69th New York Infantry (the Irish Brigade), under command of Irishman General Thomas Francis Meagher. They fought ferociously and lost 196 of 317 men killed or wounded, which was about 62% of their entire brigade! When the Confederate line at the Sunken Road finally broke around noon, exhausted Union troops gathered about Roulette farm, Confederate troops rallied at Piper farm, and approximately 5,500 men had been killed or wounded.
As fighting shifted further southward and the sun crossed the sky, the third phase of the battle erupted around a now iconic bridge that spanned the Antietam Creek. On the eastern bank of the creek, Union Major General Ambrose Burnside commanded the IX Corps (nearly 12,500 troops) and set about creating a diversion, to draw attention away from the main Union attack led by General Hooker to the north. Unfortunately, Burnside awaited specific orders to attack, which did not reach him until after 10AM- long after General Hooker’s failed attack to the north. But even when Burnside prepared to move his force across the creek, the Confederate defenders on the western bank only numbered around 3,000. These Confederates were positioned along Cemetery Hill, with 400 troops defending Rorhbach’s Bridge (history would dub it, famously, as “Burnside’s Bridge”).
Initially, soldiers from the 11th Connecticut attempted to clear the bridge to pave the way for a Union assault; however, they suffered heavy casualties and withdrew. A second Union attack on the bridge was disrupted and repelled by Confederate sharpshooters and artillery. Around 12:30PM, a third Union assault (one with more troops and vigor) advanced towards the bridge. This renewed assault, combined with dwindling Confederate ammunition supplies and a Union flanking maneuver, forced the Confederate troops to withdraw. As Burnside’s troops advanced and took control of the bridge, they passed nearly 500 Union men, who fell as casualties to the accurate Confederate fire.
If one can believe it, logistics once again stalled Burnside’s troops- ammunition supplies were not brought across the bridge! As the IX Corps dallied about the bridge for nearly two hours, approximately 3,000 Confederate troops under command of General A. P. Hill arrived in Sharpsburg. General Robert E. Lee immediately dispatched these men to fortify his right flank, located near Burnside’s Bridge. This led to a few hours of violent fighting for Burnside’s men and when the sun began to set, they were still left guarding the bridge and had not made any headway at capturing the town of Sharpsburg.
By 5:30PM, the Battle of Antietam had ended. On the morning of September 18th, the Union Army did not renew the battle (they had the initiative). Instead, both sides worked to recover and exchange their wounded and later that day, General Robert E. Lee and his army began their march south back towards Virginia. In the end, the Battle of Antietam proved to be the bloodiest single day of the entire American Civil War. The Union Army suffered over 12,000 casualties (2,108 killed) and the Confederate Army suffered over 10,000 casualties (1,567 killed). Although it was not a decisive battle in either the north or south’s favor, it was proof that the war would last much longer than anyone believed.
Interesting Facts
- Although it is largely known as the “Battle of Antietam” (particularly by the north during the war), it was dubbed the “Battle of Sharpsburg” by the south. Throughout the American Civil War, the north usually named battles after nearby rivers/waterways, while the south named them after the nearest town
- To this day, the Battle of Antietam goes down as the bloodiest day in American history (although there were more casualties in the Battle of Gettysburg, that engagement took place over a three day period)
- The Union victory in the Battle of Antietam was the major catalyst that influenced President Abraham Lincoln to announce the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862
Our Visit & Recommendations
As with any visit to a National Park, the best place to begin your journey is at the visitors center. Antietam National Battlefield has a centrally-located and easy to access visitors center (5831 Dunker Church Rd., Sharpsburg, MD 21782) right on the battlefield, and is generally open 9AM – 5PM daily- for more information, check out their website here. The visitors center offers information pamphlets, bathrooms, a wonderful gift shop, and of course, park rangers a to answer any questions you might have.
We’ve had the opportunity to visit Antietam National Battlefield on a few occasions, to include a very memorable morning run of nearly the entire preserved battlefield with my brother-in-law (the park ranger told us that the weather on the morning of our run was near identical to the morning of the battle!). During each visit, we are simply blown-away by the beauty and grandeur of it! The easiest way to explore the battlefield is by car and stopping at the various stops outlined on the self-guided driving tour, which can be accessed on the NPS app. If you desire to walk or run it, there are numerous trails throughout the battlefield, to include the West Woods trail, the Cornfield trail, and Bloody Lane trail. If you have the time and desire to walk these trails, I’d recommend it- they offer incredible views and truly immerse you in the battlefield.
Before hopping in your car and leaving the visitors center parking lot, I recommend checking out the monuments, artillery, and other sites in the immediate area. A short walk from the visitors center is a collection of Civil War-era artillery (placed where a Confederate battery was during the battle), which sits on a rise that offers a unique view that most of you may recognize. Perhaps one of the most famous photographs of the Antietam battlefield is that of a bullet-riddled Dunker Church, with a multitude of dead soldiers lying in the foreground (taken by Alexander Gardner two days after the battle). From there, you can either walk down to Dunker Church to explore that portion of the battlefield, or hop back in the car and drive to it (parking is available on the side of the road).
Dunker Church is the most prominent structure on Antietam battlefield, despite its small size. Other than serving as a house of worship in the 1800s, it was used by the Confederate army as a field hospital in the aftermath of the battle (after repairs, it reopened to its congregation in 1864). Although the original church was destroyed in a storm in 1921, the National Park service constructed an exact replica of the church in 1962, built on the original foundation and using as much original material as possible. Today, it serves solely as a historic site and is a favorite spot for visitors, who are free to enter and explore the interior.
After visiting Dunker Church and the West Woods, we followed the driving tour, which continues in a clockwise fashion around the battlefield and largely follows the stages of the battle. Other major stops on the tour include the North Woods, East Woods, the Cornfield, the site where Union General Joseph Mansfield was mortally wounded, Mumma Farm, and of course, the Sunken Road/Bloody Lane. There are places to park are each of these stops and I highly recommend taking the time to walk around and read the information signs at each location.
One of the most iconic features of Antietam Battlefield is the Sunken Road, which is so named because it was worn down and “sunk” lower than the surrounding landscape from years of heavy wagons passing by. Of course, it earned the nickname “Bloody Lane” following the battle, due to the thousands of casualties that happened in the area in just a short period of time. A soldier remembered this phase of the battle “the air was now thick with smoke from the muskets that not only obscured our vision of the enemy, but made breathing difficult and most uncomfortable…we were forced to breath this powder smoke which burned the coating of nose, throat, and eyes almost life fire.”
This prominent landmark has personal meaning to me, because I had an ancestor who fought in the battle at this very location (thankfully, he survived the battle and the war). Walking this lane and picturing thousands of troops engaged in close-combat was truly a remarkable experience!
The last major stop on the battlefield tour is Burnside’s Bridge (officially named Rohrbach Bridge and known as the Lower Bridge to the armies), which is but a short drive in the southern portion of the battlefield. There is on-site parking, but it is about a five-minute walk down to the bridge (the ridge and terrain can be greatly appreciated during this walk). The bridge itself was built in 1836 and is the original structure (although repaired over the years) that stood during the battle.
It was here that the later phases of the battle took place and where Burnside’s Union troops of the IX Corps were repulsed multiple times by a far-inferior force. During the fighting, a sycamore tree stood adjacent to the bridge and undoubtedly took multiple bullets- incredibly, this tree still exists to this day! As you walk across the bridge (from the west to the east), you will see this tree on your left (north) side of the bridge. An interpretive sign provides the story on this amazing landmark, which is known as the Burnside Sycamore.
Legacy
The Battle of Antietam was one of the most important battles in the American Civil War and is one of the most well-known battles in world history. Not only did it reveal a great deal about the leadership and tactics of both armies, but it was the driving factor in President Lincoln’s announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation five days after the battle. Today, the battlefield is expertly preserved by the National Park Service and provides visitors with an exceptional opportunity to walk the same fields and witness the same landmarks that soldiers did on that fateful day.