The Battle of Antietam transpired during the Civil War era between the Union Army of the Potomac, and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. The battle occurred on September 17, 1862 near Sharpsburg, Maryland and the Antietam Creek as part of the Maryland Campaign. The Battle of Antietam is recognized in American history as the bloodiest one day battle during the Civil War. Its recognition is based on the astounding number of causalities compared to any other war. One in every four Soldiers engaged during the battle were killed, wounded, captured, or recorded as missing. The Battle of Antietam did not only end the Confederate’s first invasion into the North, it was also a turning point that allowed Abraham Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (NPS Maryland).
General Lee, commanding officer of the Confederate Army, desired to invade the North for several reasons. Many of his reasons for this invasion included taking pressure off the Shenandoah Valley—"The Breadbasket of the Confederacy"—at harvest time; heartening European support for the Confederacy by winning a battle in the North; and demoralizing Northerners to diminish their support for the war in hopes to encourage the slave-holding state of Maryland to join the Confederacy (Alexander, 2006).
Days before the battle, on September 3, 1982 General Robert E. Lee, commanding General for the Confederate Army of North Virginia, authored a letter to President Jefferson Davis stating “The present seems to be the most propitious time since the commencement of the war for the Confederate Army to enter Maryland”. He furthered stated that the Confederate Army could not afford to remain idle although they appeared weaker than their opponents in terms of men...
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... Couch’s disbanded division and lastly a five brigade cavalry division commanded by Brigadier General Alfred Pleasonton. McClellan’s field artillery contained if approximately 300 guns, arranged into batteries of six guns, with several batteries assigned to each division. Of the 300 guns approximately 166 were rifled. (CITE)
General Lee believed that the Union would require time to rebuild after months of campaigning and made a command decision to divide his own army, sending half of it to capture various objectives. One objective involved using part of Lieutenant General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson’s corps to capture the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, Virginia while the largest corps, commanded by Lt. Gen. James Longstreet headed toward Sharpsburg. Lee used Order No. 191 to inform his commanders of their routes and objectives on September 9. (Alexander 2006).
The Army of Northern Virginia under the leadership of GEN Lee decided to advance north in and invade the state of Pennsylvania in an attempt to bring the war to the north and coerce their politicians
After the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia embarked on their 2nd invasion of the north. General Lee’s first campaign into the north resulted in the Confederate defeat at Antietam. The failure of Lee’s first northern campaign raises the question of his motives. The Confederate Army was...
General Lee did not establish clear commander’s intent when issuing orders to his cavalry commander. After entering Pennsylvania, General Lee gave the cavalry commander wide latitude in his orders to screen the main column, and did not establish a clear intent. General Lee’s cavalry began a skirmish with the Union Army while traveling beyond their lines of communication. Outlined in ADRP 6-0 the commander must provide a clear and concise expression of the purpose of the operation1. General Lee’s cavalry was absent from the first days of the battle because he did not use clear and concise communication. General Lee’s poor use of mission command deprived him of his cavalry, an important asset.
The Battle of Antietam also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg was fought in one day on September 17, 1862 that is considered the bloodiest single day battle in American history. George McClellan led the Union against the Confederates which was led by Robert E. Lee in this battle. There are 3 phases in this battle at they are all in different locations. The first phase in located in Miller's cornfield. This was no longer a cornfield after it started, you couldn't walk across the field without stepping on a body.
One of the best commanders in the Confederate army was Lee still; the Union stood at a better standpoint during the battle. “Perhaps the most significant lesson from July 3, 1863, concerns the method of decision-making. Though he may not have seen it as such, Lee’s decision to attack was at best a close call.” (Gompert 2006, pg.7). The battle of Gettysburg did not happen intentionally, planned however Lee did an astounding job and his best to defeat the Union army. Ultimately Robert E. Lee was responsible for the South’s loss
San Antonio, Texas-- The Battle of the Alamo, a battle in San Antonio, against the Mexicans broke out, marks the most important of the battles so far during the Texas fight for independence. The battle began on February 23, 1836 and ended two days ago on March 6, 1836, lasting for 13 days. General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, leader of the Mexican force, planned to seize the fort with an army of thousands. Unprepared, the Texans had an army of around 200 men, including well- known congressman David Crockett and James Bowie and not so well-known William Barret Travis.
The Battle of Antietam took place on September 17, 1862 at Sharpsburg, Maryland while George McClellan was the commander for the Union, and Robert E. Lee was the commander for the Army of Northern Virginia. The Battle of Antietam was one of the bloodiest battles that were ever recorded during the civil war with the loss of more than 23,000 soldiers all together. The main reason why the battle occurred was because Robert E Lee wanted to invade the north because he wanted to prove himself to the Europeans that the Confederacy did have the political and economic power to take out the Union. As for Abraham Lincoln he did not want Europe to enter the war, so initially the battle of Antietam became about the Emancipation Proclamation to stop and help the war over slavery come to an end. The Battle of Antietam is a significant piece of history that not only allowed the Emancipation Proclamation for freeing slaves but it also brought a huge victory win to Abraham Lincoln.
In Jackson’s Valley Campaign, he marched Page 2 17,000, mean 646 miles in 48 days, winning many minor battles along the way and defeating three Union armies. In fall 1862, Jackson made quite the mark with his actions at Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry was a three day war with the hope that the Confederates would capture the vital Union garrison and arsenal. As stated by Dennis E. Frye in his article Stonewall Jackson’s Triumph at Harpers Ferry, ‘the largest surrender of the United States forces during the Civil War occurred at Harpers Ferry’. General Lee decided to join his army and sent three columns under the command of Jackson.
On the final day the Union soldiers were told that “if they hurried this was the day they could finish everything” although that inspired them, they were also promised that once they reached Appomattox Station rations would be handed out. Many of the men later admitted they did so “because they figured it was the quickest way to get breakfast.” After a small skirmish near Appomattox Station Lee decided to surrender his army right before the Union carried out their attack.
Before the battle, major cities in the North such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, and even Washington, were under threat of attack from General Robert E. Lee?s Confederate Army of Northern Virginia which had crossed the Potomac River and marched into Pennsylvania.
Stevens, Norman S. 2004. Antietam 1862; The Civil War's bloodiest day. New York: Osprey Publishing.
Both forces were moving towards Pennsylvania, when they converged upon Gettysburg. General Lee decided to take the fighting to Northern soil, and moved his troops to Maryland. While heading north, the two forces converged at Gettysburg, and the fighting began soon thereafter. After news of the fighting, General Meade arrived on the battlefield on the second day of battle..
September 16-18, 1862, outside of the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, between the Potomac River and Antietam Creek, was the location of the bloodiest battle in American history. Confederate Colonel Stephen D. Lee described it as “Artillery Hell” because of the frightful toll on his gunners and horses from Federal counter battery and infantry fire. (AotW, 2014) The battle of Antietam, or the Battle of Sharpsburg, would collect an estimated 23,100 total casualties (Luvaas and Nelson, 1987). The body count far exceeded any of the other three battles waged in the Maryland Campaign (Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, and Shepherdstown). This battle was a contributing factor in the outcome of our country and the rest of the world. The Union Army desperately needed a victory at Antietam; however, a victory for the Confederate rebels may have very well gained them international recognition as a sovereign country in the eyes of the rest of the world. The Federal Army, which belonged to the Union States, consisted of an all-volunteer army and was a larger army than the Confederate States. Even though the Battle of Antietam was inconclusive, President Lincoln went on to read the Emancipation Proclamation to the country, effectively ending slavery, and ensuring that no foreign nation would intervene on the Confederates behave.
Ironically, before the campaign, Lee had outlined a battle plan along the lines of Longstreet's suggestions, offensive strategy and defensive tactics. The core logic was that the smaller Confederate force was not capable of attacking the larger Union force; moreover, it was the Union's imperative to push the Confederates back out of Pennsylvania to protect their capital. The plan called for a series of maneuvers in which the Confederates would get behind the Union, and then, and only then, fight a pitched battle on ground of their choosing. When the medium-sized battle of the first day of Gettysburg broke out, Lee believed that it necessitated the alteration of the war plan, while Longstreet thought it actually strengthened the plan because now the Union forces, well-entrenched, would be so reluctant to move.
The famous Battle of Gettysburg was fought July 1 to July 3 of 1863 in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle proved to show the most casualties of the entire war and resulted in a crushing defeat of the Confederates. The Battle of Gettysburg is generally considered to be the turning point of the American Civil War. This paper will demonstrate the various reasons as to why the Confederates, led by General Robert E. Lee, were unsuccessful in the Battle of Gettysburg during their invasion of the north. General Lee’s over-confidence, the confederate army’s disorganization and failed coordination, and the shift of intelligence all contributed to the crushing defeat of the confederates at Gettysburg. Following his “flawless” battle at Chancellorsville, General Lee was instilled with absolute confidence in his men and failed to see any deficiencies in his army’s offensive capabilities. Lee was not only over-confident, but also knew less than his opponent during the most crucial stages of the battle. The final contributing factor as to why the confederates were defeated was Alexander’s failure to provide effective artillery bombardment and his failure to advise General Pickett not to make the charge after the ineffective bombardment.