The Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam occurred #OTD in 1862. Major General George B. McClellan had commanded the Army of the Potomac since the disaster at the Battle of Bull Run in 1861. His constant complaints, delays, and political intrigue, led to his removal after his failed Peninsula Campaign. However, after General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia nearly destroyed Major General John Pope at the Battle of Second Manassas, McClellan was recalled and placed back in command. While he was slow and methodical on the campaign, there was no one better in the country to reorganize the tattered remains of Pope's army. Lee, convinced the Army of the Potomac would need more time to refit itself, invaded United States territory. He hoped Maryland would contribute more forces to the rebel cause and more importantly, that England or France would recognize the Confederacy and perhaps intervene in the conflict.

However, Lee misjudged the situation. McClellan quickly got his army back into fighting condition and in a stroke of luck, one of his soldiers found Lee's invasion plans wrapped around a few cigars. McClellan could not contain his excitement and exclaimed: ""Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobby Lee, I will be willing to go home."

Though McClellan took many hours before the army got in motion, he moved with a deliberate speed that caught Lee off guard. Lee recognized something was amiss and ordered the three pronged invasion force to concentrate in central Maryland. General Thomas Jackson's command was busy capturing the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia and had the most ground to cover. Meanwhile, the Army of the Potomac was in hot pursuit, and pushed a rear guard force off South Mountain, Maryland on the 14th of September.

Despite his victory, McClellan's abundant caution resurfaced, and he gave Lee three critical days to reassemble his army along the winding Antietam Creek. Had McClellan attacked on the 15th or 16th, Lee's army could have been partially destroyed. Instead, McClellan waited, and finally attacked on the 17th.

While McClellan's conduct at the Battle of Antietam is often criticized, it is worth noting that he was uncharacteristically aggressive in the engagement. He ordered three massive assaults on Lee's left, center, and right. However, at critical moments, McClellan failed to push in his nearly 20,000 reserve troops that could have led to major breakthroughs. Ultimately, the battle was a tactical draw, but Lee's army had suffered greatly. Lee withdrew after waiting for another assault on the 18th and limped back into Northern Virginia. The U.S. had scored a strategic victory, as European intervention became less likely.

In the aftermath of the battle, Lincoln used the "victory" to issue his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which "freed" all African American slaves in rebel territory on January 1, 1863. This act led to nearly 200,000 black soldiers to serve in the United States forces and helped win the war for the Union.

The link below is from the U.S. Army Center for Military History and contains a good recap of the battle and some excellent images.

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