civil war battle 1862

It was enough of a victory to give Lincoln the confidence to announce his Emancipation Proclamation, which, by freeing more than 3.5 million slaves in the Confederate states, began the process of emancipation of all remaining persons considered, legally, as slaves within the United States, and in doing so, discouraged the British and French governments, which were strongly opposed to slavery, and had in fact abolished slavery prior to the American Civil War, from recognizing the Confederacy. (Corby would later perform a similar service at Gettysburg in 1863.) Burnside's plan was to move around the weakened Confederate right flank, converge on Sharpsburg, and cut Lee's army off from Boteler's Ford, their only escape route across the Potomac. Eager for an opportunity to see combat, French found skirmishers in his path and ordered his men forward. Many images in this presentation were graphic photographs of corpses, a presentation new to America. [78] Losses from the battle were heavy on both sides. Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S. Confederate States presidential election of 1861, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Antietam&oldid=988353544, Battles of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, Battles of the American Civil War in Maryland, Union victories of the American Civil War, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Kalasky, Robert. This represented another two-hour delay. In 1993, the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC) reported to Congress and the ABPP on their extensive analysis of significant battles and battlefields. Gen. Nathan Kimball, included three veteran regiments, but they also fell to fire from the sunken road. [73], An initial assault led by the 79th New York "Cameron Highlanders" succeeded against Jones's outnumbered division, which was pushed back past Cemetery Hill and to within 200 yards (200 m) of Sharpsburg. On the morning of June 8, the division of Maj. Gen. John C. Fremont bore down on the Confederates under Maj. Gen. Richard S. Ewell near Cross Keys outside of Harrisonburg. [35] They were halted by a charge of 1,150 men from Starke's brigade, leveling heavy fire from 30 yards (30 m) away. At dawn, the divisions of Brig. Emboldened by success, the Confederate leadership intended to take the war into enemy territory. Franklin appealed to McClellan, who left his headquarters in the rear to hear both arguments but backed Sumner's decision, ordering Franklin and Hancock to hold their positions. Tidball, John C. The Artillery Service in the War of the Rebellion, 1861–1865. [8][9], After pursuing Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee into Maryland, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan of the Union Army launched attacks against Lee's army, in defensive positions behind Antietam Creek. Site identified by Frassanito, pp. Command of his I Corps fell to General Meade, since Hooker's senior subordinate, James B. Ricketts, had also been wounded. Deploying his infantry east and west of the Port Republic Road, Frémont moved south. The Union soldiers looking on were likely members of the. [27][24], McClellan's plans were ill-coordinated and were executed poorly. "Union dead...Confederate Dead'.". The disposition of Union forces during the battle made it impractical to consider retreating in that direction.) [18], There were two significant engagements in the Maryland campaign prior to the major battle of Antietam: Maj. Gen. Thomas J. Confederate reinforcements arrived just after 7 a.m. They also broke and ran, leaving the 8th Connecticut far out in advance and isolated. But apparently he issued it only to get McClellan to agree to move. [43][44][45][46] Sumner has been condemned by most historians for his "reckless" attack, his lack of coordination with the I and XII Corps headquarters, losing control of French's division when he accompanied Sedgwick's, failing to perform adequate reconnaissance prior to launching his attack, and selecting the unusual battle formation that was so effectively flanked by the Confederate counterattack. [37] Hood's men bore the brunt of the fighting, however, and paid a heavy price—60% casualties—but they were able to prevent the defensive line from crumbling and held off the I Corps. Gen. George L. Hartsuff and Col. William A. Christian—had difficulties reaching the scene. [7][79] This represented 25% of the Federal force and 31% of the Confederates. While the Cornfield remained a bloody stalemate, Federal advances a few hundred yards to the west were more successful. In 1979, the National Park Service purchased and restored them. There was panic in the streets of Sharpsburg, clogged with retreating Confederates. [83] The president was even more astonished that from September 17 to October 26, despite repeated entreaties from the War Department and the president himself, McClellan declined to pursue Lee across the Potomac, citing shortages of equipment and the fear of overextending his forces. Alpheus Williams assumed temporary command of the XII Corps.[41][42]. After two hours and 2,500 casualties, they were back where they started. At 3 p.m., Burnside left Sturgis's division in reserve on the west bank and moved west with over 8,000 troops (most of them fresh) and 22 guns for close support. Moreover, McClellan's headquarters were more than a mile in the rear (at the Philip Pry house, east of the creek). Before the fall of 1862, President Abraham Lincoln had twice offered Ambrose Burnside overall command of the Union’s Army of the Potomac due to frustration with its present commander, George B. McClellan. Above all he wanted a concerted movement to crush the rebellion quickly. Civilians generally hid inside their houses as Lee's army passed through their towns, or watched in cold silence, while the Army of the Potomac was cheered and encouraged. Sedgwick's division of 5,400 men was the first to ford the Antietam, and they entered the East Woods with the intention of turning left and forcing the Confederates south into the assault of Ambrose Burnside's IX Corps. Site identified by Frassanito, pp. Confederate staff officer Henry Kyd Douglas[63], Antietam Creek in this sector was seldom more than 50 feet (15 m) wide, and several stretches were only waist deep and out of Confederate range. This order, besides superfluously telling the armies to obey existing orders, directed that a general movement of land and sea forces against the Confederacy be launched on February 22, 1862. Rifles are shot to pieces in the hands of the soldiers, canteens and haversacks are riddled with bullets, the dead and wounded go down in scores. Near the town of Sharpsburg, Lee deployed his available forces behind Antietam Creek along a low ridge, starting on September 15. Casualties were comparable on both sides, although Lee lost a higher percentage of his army. In July 1863 the dual Union triumphs at Gettysburg and Vicksburg struck another blow that blunted a renewed Confederate offensive in the East and cut off the western third of the Confederacy from the rest. Civil War battles in Virginia 1862. The results of Antietam also allowed President Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, which gave Confederate states until January 1, 1863, to return or else lose their slaves. The VI Corps, under Maj. Gen. William B. Franklin, had just arrived with 12,000 men. (The ford at Williamsport, Maryland, was 10 miles (16 km) northwest from Sharpsburg and had been used by Jackson in his march to Harpers Ferry. Jump to navigation Jump to search. If a bullet missed the mark at first it was liable to strike the further bank, angle back, and take them secondarily. French's division suffered 1,750 casualties (of his 5,700 men) in under an hour.[51]. [62] It would become known to history as Burnside's Bridge because of the notoriety of the coming battle. "We would scarce choose to be in the gallery, when one of the women bending over them should recognize a husband, a son, or a brother in the still, lifeless lines of bodies, that lie ready for the gaping trenches. McClellan waited about 18 hours before deciding to take advantage of this intelligence and reposition his forces, thus squandering an opportunity to defeat Lee decisively. A savage battle began, with considerable melee action with rifle butts and bayonets due to short visibility in the corn. And they had stalled Burnside's assault on the southern flank for more than three hours. The following is a list of Civil War battles in chronological order. Richardson's men were in hot pursuit when massed artillery hastily assembled by Gen. Longstreet drove them back. The Civil War was a mass concentration of varying gun types, both long and short, which led to an equally varied group of bullets being used. VIEW. Gen. William N. Pendleton. The casualties received by the 12th Massachusetts Infantry, 67%, were the highest of any unit that day. [29], As the first Union men emerged from the North Woods and into the Cornfield, an artillery duel erupted. December 26-29, 1862: Battle of Chickasaw Bayou. The Civil War Trust (a division of the American Battlefield Trust) and its partners have acquired and preserved 316 acres of the Antietam Battlefield. He believed that McClellan's overly cautious and poorly coordinated actions in the field had forced the battle to a draw rather than a crippling Confederate defeat. Meade's division cautiously attacked Hood's troops near the East Woods. Union victory during U.S. Civil War. He intended to launch a simultaneous diversionary attack against the Confederate right with a fifth corps, and he was prepared to strike the center with his reserves if either attack succeeded. After an improvised truce for both sides to recover and exchange their wounded, Lee's forces began withdrawing across the Potomac that evening to return to Virginia. 1 on January 27, 1862. McClellan's plan called for Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside and the IX Corps to conduct a diversionary attack in support of Hooker's I Corps, hoping to draw Confederate attention away from the intended main attack in the north. Perry D. Jamieson and Bradford A. Wineman, This page was last edited on 12 November 2020, at 17:24. Several generals died as a result of the battle, including Maj. Gens. [50], French launched a series of brigade-sized assaults against Hill's improvised breastworks at around 9:30 a.m.. [48], By midday, the action had shifted to the center of the Confederate line. It was the bloodiest day in American history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing. The Battle of Stones River (December 31, 1862–January 2, 1863) was a major engagement of the American Civil War fought 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Murfreesboro. September 17, 1862: The Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) is a tactically inconclusive engagement. This was the first time that many Americans saw the realities of war in photographs as distinct from previous "artists' impressions". Lawrence O. The lower bridge (which would soon be named Burnside Bridge) was dominated by Confederate positions on the bluffs overlooking it. 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