THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM–SEPTEMBER 16–17, 1862
The battle of Antietam was fought at Sharpsburg, Maryland on September 16 and 17 of 1862. On September 6, 1862 a ragged host of 55,000 men crossed the Potomac River at White's Ford near Leesburg, Virginia. This was General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. This was the first Confederate invasion of the North. It was untouched by battle, rich in crops; Maryland being a border state could probably be brought into the Confederacy, General Lee also wanted to get the Federal troops out of Virginia as harvest time was at hand and he could also march into Pennsylvania and cut off rail communication to the North, as well as being a threat to Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Sept. 7 found him at Frederick, Maryland.
Another army under Major General George B. McClellan was forming just north of Washington. This Army was assembling at Rockville, Maryland and was 90,000 strong. General McClellan's orders from President Lincoln were to find and destroy the Confederate army.
General Lee's plans were to split his army, send the 1st Corps under General Longstreet to Hagerstown to hold back the Union forces if possible, General J. E. B. Stewart's calvary to hold McClellan's forces east of South Mountain and General Jackson's men to capture the Union garrisons at Martinsburg, West Virginia 2,500 strong and move on down on Harper's Ferry and take that garrison of 12,000 Union troops with the help of General McLaw's troops on the Maryland Heights and General Walker on the Loudon Heights all to strike Colonel D. S. Miles' troops at once on September 15.
This was General Lee's Special Order 191. A copy of which was lost at the camp site used by Lee's men at Frederick, Maryland and found by the Union troops two days later when they arrived. With this in hand General McClellan had a very good advantage.
General Jackson was to accomplish this as quickly as possible and join forces with General Longstreet and General Stewart at Sharpsburg, Maryland. As General Lee had decided not to withdraw across the Potomac, but to stay and fight at Sharpsburg as it offered one of the best places to fight, it had ready made fortifications–outcropping of rocks running parallel to the Hagerstown Pike which his forces would use to their advantage. Also Antietam Creek ran north to south with the Federal forces on the east side and his on the west he could defend his positions easier as they had to cross the three bridges or fords to get to his army. The battle stage was all set on September 15 and troops lay nervous all night waiting for the coming of dawn. The 16th was a very foggy morning and as it lifted artillery opened up with powerful batteries on both sides. About mid-afternoon General Hooker's 1st corps charged down Hagerstown Pike across Farmer Miller's 40 acre cornfield into General Jackson's forces just back of Dunkard Church. This was a seesaw battle across the cornfield and as dark came each drew back to their former position.
With the coming of dawn on September 17th the battle was renewed on all fronts, the cornfield, scene of the action on the 16th, the battle at the Sunken Road or Bloody Lane, this was General Longstreet's troops opposing the forces of Generals French and Richardson and the battle at the Lower Bridge, General Burnside making a crossing and being opposed by General A. P. Hill's forces.
This was the bloodiest day of the Civil War, 23,000 men lost their lives here, one 20 minute period 2,500 men was slaughtered in the cornfield. There were 12,410 Federal troops killed, wounded or captured and another 13,613 captured at Harper's Ferry. The Confederacy lost 10,700 and another 2,685 at Harper's Ferry.
Antietam was a draw, but both sides claimed victory, the Union forces had halted Lee's invasion and General Lee had gotten the Union forces out of Virginia–a constant threat to Richmond and fought a battle on Federal soil.
The 42nd was at Antietam in General Jackson's division; they were in General J. R. Jones' brigade and commanded by Captain R. W. Withers. They were a part of General Jones' men, fighting from the cover of projecting rocks that helped turn back General Samuel Crawford's division who bore down the Hagerstown Pike toward the Confederates in the west woods.
The battle did not resume the 18th and as night fell General Lee crossed the Potomac at White's Ford back into Virginia with his weary army.