Repeated Union attacks and equally vicious Confederate counterattacks sweep back and forth across Miller’s cornfield and the West Woods. The Battle of Antietam begins at dawn when Hooker’s Union corps mounts a powerful assault on Lee’s left flank. The following morning, McClellan attacks. At dusk, Hooker bumps into Confederate general John Bell Hood’s division and the two forces skirmish until dark. Joseph Hooker’s First Corps across Antietam Creek to find Lee’s left flank. McClellan sets his army in motion, sending Maj. On the afternoon of September 16, Union general George B. On September 15, Lee positions his men behind the creek and waits for McClellan to arrive. The water is deep, swift, and crossable only at three stone bridges, making it a natural defensible location. A mile east of the town of Sharpsburg, the creek meanders through the hilly but open countryside, good for long-range artillery and moving infantry. With Federal forces closing in from the east, Lee selects strategic ground near Antietam Creek and orders his army to converge there. Lee opts to make one last stand in the hopes of salvaging his Maryland Campaign. After a Union victory at the Battle of South Mountain and a Confederate victory at the Battle of Harpers Ferry, Confederate general Robert E. The first Confederate invasion of Union-held territory is not going as planned. On the other side, President Abraham Lincoln was counting on McClellan to bring him the victory he needed to keep Republican control of the Congress and issue a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Confederate success could also influence impending Congressional elections in the North and persuade European nations to recognize the Confederate States of America. Victories there, could lead to the capture of the Federal capital in Washington, D.C. He wanted to move the focus of fighting away from the South and into Federal territory. Lee invaded Maryland in September 1862 with a full agenda. Instead, McClellan’s half-hearted approach allowed Lee to hold ground by shifting forces from threat to threat. With the full commitment of McClellan’s troops, which outnumbered the Confederates two to one, the battle might have had a more definitive outcome. McClellan sent in less than three quarters of his. Lee committed his entire force to the battle, while Maj. It also gave President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation at a moment of strength rather than desperation.
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