Park Archives: Antietam National Battlefield

A year and a half into the Civil War, Union victory was far from assured. Confederate forces were fighting successfully in the Eastern Theater (comprising operations mainly in Virginia). After his victory at the Second Battle of Manassas (Bull Run), Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee decided to move his army out of war-torn Virginia. On September 4, 1862, he led his over 40,000 Confederates across the Potomac River and through the lush Maryland countryside to Frederick.

Lee's Maryland Campaign—his first foray onto Union soil—was the most significant in a series of loosely coordinated Confederate incursions along a 1,000-mile front. Lee intended to keep moving north into Pennsylvania, but his line of supply and communication into Virginia was threatened by the 12,500-man Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, Va. (now West Virginia). Lee therefore divided his army to neutralize this threat. Part of Gen. James Longstreet's command went to Hagerstown, Md., close to Pennsylvania. Three columns led by Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson surrounded Harpers Ferry and held Crampton Gap on South Mountain. A third force, Gen. D.H. Hill's command, guarded the South Mountain gaps near Boonsboro, Md.

On September 12, Union Gen. George B. McClellan led the Army of the Potomac into Frederick, Md., just as the last Confederate soldiers were departing. Over the next few days a chain of events would draw all of these men together for the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War.

On September 13 a Union soldier found a copy of Lee's Special Order 191, his plan of operations for the campaign. This "Lost Order," as it has become known, was taken to McClellan, who realized that this was the time to strike Lee's divided forces. On the morning of September 14, Union soldiers engaged Confederates guarding the gaps on South Mountain. The day-long battle ended with the Confederates being forced from the gaps.

Lee considered returning to Virginia, but on September 15, after learning that Harpers Ferry had fallen, he reevaluated his plans. He would make a stand at Sharpsburg, Md., a quiet, 100-year-old farming community of some 1,200 residents.

For the people of Sharpsburg, the battle and presence of thousands of soldiers caused sickness and death from disease, and great property damage. Antietam made feasible the Emancipation Proclamation and reshaped the logistics of field medicine. It also influenced how the nation would memorialize battlefields in the future.

Immediately after the battle over 3,500 dead were buried in farm fields surrounding Sharpsburg. Eventually Confederate soldiers were moved to three local cemeteries. Union men were re-interred in Antietam National Cemetery, their names (if known) recorded in a book.

Seeing the bandages, lanterns, and food Clara Barton brought to his Antietam hospital, Surgeon Charles Dunn christened her "The Angel of the Battlefield." In 1881 Barton founded the American Red Cross. She not only provided neutral assistance to soldiers in war but conceived and put into practice the provision of aid to civilians after natural disasters.

The Emancipation Proclamation, released January 1, 1863, reshaped the war, freeing slaves in states in rebellion and giving the Union war effort two goals: preserve the Union and end slavery. Slaves could flee to Union camps and freedom or even join U.S. fighting forces. Lee's repulse at Antietam enabled the proclamation, and the two events kept Great Britain from intervening for the Confederacy.

Hospitals were set up in barns, churches, homes, and make-shift tents to care for over 17,000 wounded soldiers. The Hagerstown newspaper called the area "one vast hospital."

The battle created a legion of amputees.The shovel buried many dead, who often awaited burial for davs, laid out as though they died in their battle ranks.

A revolution in combat medical care was put in place just weeks before this battle. Dr. Jonathan Letterman, chief medical officer, Union Army of the Potomac, established an ambulance corps to evacuate the wounded. He also adopted triage—a system of prioritizing casualties by the severity of their wounds.

On September 15, 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee positioned his army along a ridge west of Antietam Creek. Confederate Gen. James Longstreet commanded the line's center and right, and Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson held its left. Behind them a Potomac River ford allowed retreat to Virginia. On September 15 and 16 union Gen. George B. McClellan deployed his forces east of the creek. His plan: attack Lee's left and when "matters looked favorably" attack the Confederal's right. Succeeding in either he hoped to strike Lee's center. His plan was good but his instructions to commanders ambiguous.

The 12-hour battle began at dawn, September 17. Three morning Union attacks struck the Confederate left, north to south. Gen. Joseph Hooker's First Corps made the initial assault, followed by Gen. Joseph Mansfield's Twelfth Corps. Part of Gen. Edwin Sumner's Second Corps made the final attack. McClellan's battle plan broke down in uncoordinated advances. From 6 am until 10 am savage combat raged across the Cornfield, East Woods, and West Woods. By late morning fighting shifted toward the Confederate center (Sunken Road) in a three-hour stalemate that left the road forever known as "Bloody Lane." Most contested of the three bridges Union forces used to cross Antietam Creek was the lower. At 10 am Union Gen. Ambrose Burnside's Ninth Corps began its assaults on the Lower Bridge. By 1 pm Federals had driven the Confederates from the bluff overlooking the creek. Over the next two hours Burnside moved his men across the bridge and deployed them. When he again advanced on the Confederate right. Gen. A.P. Hill's reinforcements, arriving in late afternoon from Harpers Ferry, stopped him. The battle ended about 6 pm. The lines of battle had not shifted significantly from that morning. Of nearly 100,000 soldiers engaged in battle, about 23,000 were killed, wounded, or missing. Late on September 18, Lee forded the Potomac to Virginia. The Union Army held the field.

Dunker Church Built in 1852, this modest house of worship for pacifist German Baptist Brethren became a focal point for Union attacks the morning of the battle.

North Woods Union Gen. Joseph Hooker's men spent the night before the battle on the Poffenberger farm. At first light the Union attack advanced south from here toward Jackson's lines. "The stars were still shining when [Hooker's] skirmishers became engaged," a soldier would later recall.

East Woods A small engagement took place in this area the night before the battle. The fighting also opened here early on September 17 as Union and Confederate soldiers exchanged deadly musket volleys, vying to control these woods.

Cornfield This 24-acre cornfield saw some of U.S. history's most horrific fighting. For nearly three hours Hooker and Mansfield's Union forces battled Jackson's Confederates. Many regiments on both sides were cut to pieces. Hays' Louisiana Brigade suffered over 60-percent casualties in 30 minutes.

West Woods Around 9:30 am Gen. Edwin Sumner's Union soldiers advanced into the West Woods. The combined firepower of Confederate artillery and attacking infantry drove them back. In 20 minutes over 2,200 Union soldiers were killed or wounded.

Mumma Farm and Cemetery The only deliberate destruction of property during the battle was the burning of this farm. Confederate soldiers were ordered to burn these structures to prevent their use by Union sharpshooters. Fortunately, Samuel Mumma and his family had fled to safety before the battle. The Mumma family rebuilt the home in 1863.

Union Advance During mid-morning nearly 10,000 Union soldiers moved across the Mumma and Roulette farms toward the Confederate center at Sunken Road. Two Union soldiers were awarded Medals of Honor for bravery in these attacks.

Sunken Road (Bloody Lane) This farm lane served as a breastwork for the Confederate center. For about three hours 2,200 Confederates, later reinforced by additional troops, held off the attacks of a combined Union force numbering nearly 10,000. Finally, just after noon, this thin gray line collapsed and fell back several hundred yards to the Piper Farm. The Union attackers had suffered too many casualties to pursue their advantage. Seeing the dead in the road an observer wrote, "They were lying in rows like the ties of a railroad, in heaps like cordwood mingled with the splintered and shattered fence rails. Words are inadequate to portray the scene."

Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) About 500 Confederate soldiers held the area overlooking the Lower Bridge for three hours. Burnside's command finally captured the bridge and crossed Antietam Creek, which forced the Confederates back toward Sharpsburg.

Final Attack After taking the Lower Bridge, Burnside moved across these fields from east to west, pushing back the Confederate right flank. Just as it appeared that Lee's line was breaking. Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill's Light Division arrived from Harpers Ferry to drive Burnside back to Antietam Creek.

Antietam National Cemetery This hill was occupied by Confederate artillery—neither this nor the town cemetery across the road were here in 1862. At first the dead were buried where they fell on the battlefield. Later they were reinterred here, along with Union soldiers who died in combat or in hospitals throughout the region. A total of 4,776 Union soldiers rest here along with dead from four other wars. Separate even in death, Confederate soldiers were buried in Hagerstown and Frederick, Md. and Shepherdstown, Va., now West Virginia.

Antietam Battlefield lies north and east of Sharpsburg, Md., along Md. 34 and 65. The visitor center, north of Sharpsburg on Md. 65, is open daily except Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1. Before starting your tour, stop at the visitor center to see the exhibits and AV programs that introduce the battle and the Maryland Campaign. Visitor center facilities and most tour route exhibits are wheelchair-accessible. The park closes 20 minutes after sunset.

There are interpretive markers at Turners, Fox, and Crampton gaps on South Mountain and at the ford near Shepherdstown, W. Va., where much of Lee's army recrossed the Potomac River.

Safety and Regulations While touring the park stay alert to traffic. Bicyclists should use caution descending hills. Please use trails to minimize contact with stinging nettles, ticks, and snakes. Do not climb on cannon, monuments, fences, or trees. Relic hunting is prohibited.

The contents of brochures, site bulletins and trading cards (denoted with a colored caption) can be viewed by clicking on the cover. Most modern-day brochures, however, are cover only (denoted by a white caption) due to photograph copyrights. These items are historical in scope and are intended for educational purposes only; they are not meant as an aid for travel planning. The dates under each brochure do not reflect the complete range of years that a particular brochure was issued.

1941		1949		1953
1957		1967	1968	Date Unknown	1968
1972	1975	1977	1978
1980		1983-1984		1985-1989
1992-1998		2000-2004		2006-2019

cover only Angel of the Battlefield Date Unknown		cover only The Hope Paintings Date Unknown		cover only Artillery at Antietam Date Unknown
cover only The Dunker Church: A Battlefield Shrine Date Unknown		The Battle of Antietam Date Unknown		Antietam Monuments Date Unknown
The Bloodiest Day of the Civil War Date Unknown		The Bloodiest Day of the Civil War Date Unknown		The Bloodiest Day of the Civil War 1998
Zouaves Date Unknown		cover only Hiking Trails Date Unknown		cover only Antietam National Cemetery Date Unknown
Visit the Newcomer and Pry Houses Date Unknown
Bloody Lane Trail Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)		The Cornfield Trail Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)		The Final Attack Trail Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)
Union Advance Trail Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)		West Woods Trail Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)		Antietam Remembered: A Walking Tour Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)
Born of Earnest Struggle Date Unknown		The Burdens of Beasts Date Unknown		No Time for Games Date Unknown
"The Vortex of Hell" Date Unknown		Antietam National Cemetery Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)		Artillery at Antietam Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)
Photography at Antietam Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)		Witness To Battle Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)		Antietam Monuments Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)
"A Savage Continual Thunder" Date Unknown (Western Maryland Interpretive Association)		Snavely Ford Trail Date Unknown		Snavely Ford Trail Date Unknown
Trading Cards

The following visual bibliography is just a sampling of the handbooks and books which have been published for this park. NPSHistory.com does not endorse these, but are merely presenting them for informational purposes only. As most are copyrighted, we are only able to provide the covers, and not contents, of these publications.

Handbook #31 1960, reprint 1961	Handbook #31 1960, reprint 1994	cover only Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam James M. McPherson 2002	cover only Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam Stephen W. Sears 2003
The Battle of Antietam: September 17, 1862 John David Hoptak 2011	cover only A Field Guide to Antietam: Experiencing the Battlefield through Its History, Places, and People Carol Reardon and Tom Vossler 2016	cover only To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 David S. Hartwig 2019	cover only The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point David A Welker 2020
cover only Hikers Guide Date Unknown