This day in history

[Peter1469]

1862Battle of Antietam

This day in history is brought to you by the History Channel and I will try to update it most days.

Today is the Battle of Antietam. Video at link.

Beginning early on the morning of this day in 1862, Confederate and Union troops in the Civil War clash near Maryland’s Antietam Creek in the bloodiest one-day battle in American history.The Battle of Antietam marked the culmination of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the Northern states. Guiding his Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River in early September 1862, the great general daringly divided his men, sending half of them, under the command of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, to capture the Union garrison at Harper’s Ferry.



President Abraham Lincoln put Major General George B. McClellan in charge of the Union troops responsible for defending Washington, D.C., against Lee’s invasion. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac clashed first with Lee’s men on September 14, with the Confederates forced to retreat after being blocked at the passes of South Mountain. Though Lee considered turning back toward Virginia, news of Jackson’s capture of Harper’s Ferry reached him on September 15. That victory convinced him to stay and make a stand near Sharpsburg, Maryland.


Over the course of September 15 and 16, the Confederate and Union armies gathered on opposite sides of Antietam Creek. On the Confederate side, Jackson commanded the left flank with General James Longstreet at the head of the center and right. McClellan’s strategy was to attack the enemy left, then the right, and finally, when either of those movements met with success, to move forward in the center.


When fighting began in the foggy dawn hours of September 17, ....

Read the rest at the link.

I live close to a lot of the Civil War battlefields. It is sobering to see how close to DC the rebels got.

[Ravens Fan]

O got to camp out on one of the old battlefields when I was in Boy Scouts, years ago. We took our bicycles with us and toured the whole area.

[Mister D]

O got to camp out on one of the old battlefields when I was in Boy Scouts, years ago. We took our bicycles with us and toured the whole area.

I think there was a Confederate camp the last time I was there unless I'm confusing it with Gettysburg. I've been to both several times and once during the same trip. They're only about an hour apart down 81.

[Ravens Fan]

I think there was a Confederate camp the last time I was there unless I'm confusing it with Gettysburg. I've been to both several times and once during the same trip. They're only about an hour apart down 81.

I have been to Gettysburg more times than I can count, it used to be the go-to field trip for elementary and middle schools around here.

[Mister D]

I have been to Gettysburg more times than I can count, it used to be the go-to field trip for elementary and middle schools around here.

I would have loved that.

[MRogersNhood]

O got to camp out on one of the old battlefields when I was in Boy Scouts, years ago. We took our bicycles with us and toured the whole area.

Find any bullets?

[Ravens Fan]

Find any bullets?

No, I didn't. In Gettysburg, you can purchase old bullets from the souvenir shops though... or at least you could 30 years ago.

[MRogersNhood]

No, I didn't. In Gettysburg, you can purchase old bullets from the souvenir shops though... or at least you could 30 years ago.

I have quite a few Civil-War era .50 bullets.Most are Limestone covered and the skirt or whatever is generally warped.

[Mister D]

No, I didn't. In Gettysburg, you can purchase old bullets from the souvenir shops though... or at least you could 30 years ago.

You still can. There were plenty the last time I was there which was about 5 years ago. Now whether they were recovered from the battlefield at Gettysburg I don't know. I'm sure they were advertised as such but it really didn't interest me much. I did like the canister shot though. They were the size of golf balls. Ouch.

[Mister D]

That battle has long been of particular interest to me. The battlefield itself is great because it's actually quite small particularly if you exclude Burnside's Bridge. It's a helluva lot easier to get your bearings and to see how the site you're currently on stands in relation to everything else.