New Quotes

New York Monuments

Over the holidays I have added a bunch of new quotes specifically about the Battle of Antietam.  There are new categories like The Night Before the Battle,  Nicodemus Heights, Hauser’s Ridge, The Sixth Corps, Early Afternoon, and Final Attack as well as a significant number of new quotes in the other categories.  I also added new categories of quotes under the Maryland Campaign on such themes as Diplomacy, the Emancipation Proclamation, and Special Order 191.  Check them out.

John Reynolds and the Maryland Campaign

John Reynolds

Check out a new group of quotes on Union Major General John Reynolds here.  Reynolds, would be killed nine months after the battle of Antietam on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg.  Reynolds, much to his disgust and that of his corps commander Joseph Hooker was detached from command of the Pennyslvania Reserve Division and sent to Pennsylvania to organize the Pennsylvania Emergency Militia who were being raised against a feared attack into Pennsylvania.  John Curtin, the powerful Pennsylvania governor asked the War Department Reynolds by name to command this militia. Here is the terse message exchange between General Halleck and General McClellan regarding this assignment.  Never known for being at a loss for words, see General Hooker’s reaction to the reassignment.  Reynolds’ division was part of his corps.  All correspondence is taken from the Official Records, Volume 19, Part II.

———————————————————————–

WASHINGTON D.C., September 11, 1862 (Sent 10.20)

Major-General McClellan

The Governor of Pennsylvania wishes the services of General Reynolds. Can you order him here for that purpose? H.W. Halleck, General-in-Chief

———————————————————————–

Headquarters, Army of the Potomac

ROCKVILLE, MD., September 11, 1862 (10.45 a.m.)

Maj. Gen. H.W. Halleck, General in Chief:

General Reynolds is now engaged in important service, supporting with his division an attack on New Market. He has one of he best divisions, and is well acquainted with it. I cannot see how his services can be spared at the present time.

GEO. B. McCLELLAN, Major-General

———————————————————————-

WASHINGTON D.C., September 11, 1862 (Sent 1.55 p.m.)

Major-General McClellan, Rockville, Md.:

General Reynold’s division can be commanded by some one else. He has been designated for other duty, and must report here immediately.

H.W. Halleck, General-in-Chief

———————————————————————-

Headquarters, Army of the Potomac

MIDDLEBROOK, MD., September 11, 1862

Maj. Gen. H.W. Halleck, General in Chief:

I have ordered General Reynolds to report to Governor Curtin at the earliest practicable moment.  He is now about 25 miles from here. He will probably not be able to start before morning.

GEO. B. McCLELLAN, Major-General

———————————————————————-

Hdqrs, Third Corps, Army of Virginia

Ridgeville, Md., September 12, 1862

Brig. Gen. S. Williams, Assistant Adjutant General:

I have just been shown an order relieving Brigadier-General Reynolds from command of a division in my corps. I request that the major-general commding will not heed this order; a scared Governor ought not to be permitted to destroy the usefulness of an entire division of the army, on the eve of important operations.

General Reynolds commands a division of Pennsylvania troops of not the best character; is well known to them, and I have no officer to fill his place.

It is satisfactory in my mind that the rebels have no more intention of going to Harrisburg than they have of going to heaven.

It is only in the United States that atrocities like this are entertained.

JOSEPH HOOKER,

Major-General, Commanding Corps.

“Through God’s blessing, Harper’s Ferry and its garrison are to be surrendered.” Thomas J. Jackson, September 15, 1862

Harpers Ferry

The volume of quotes for September 15, 1862 is large.  All the pieces are coming together.  Union soldiers survey the desolation on South Mountain.  Federal commanders organize their pursuit of the apparently defeated Confederates.  Harpers Ferry falls to Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee makes a decision.  Abraham Lincoln views developments from afar, and individual soldiers look for something to eat and speculate about what the days ahead will bring.  Hear to their voices here.

Voices from September 15, 1862

 

“Your dispatch of today received. God bless you and all with you. Destroy the Rebel army if possible.”

Abraham Lincoln Sep 15 1862 Telegram from Lincoln to McClellan. 2:45PM Sep 15 1862. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 181

 

“We attacked a large force of the enemy yesterday occupying a strong pass four miles west of Middletown. Our troops old and new regiments behaved most valiantly & gained a signal victory. R.E. Lee in command. The Rebels routed and retreating in disorder this morning. We are pursuing and taking many prisoners.”  George B. McClellan in a telegram to retired Brevet Lieutenant General Winfield Scott.  September 15, 1862,  From The Civil War Papers of George B. McClellan. Ed. Stephen W. Sears. New York: Ticknor & Fields, 1989 page 464.

 

“Through God’s blessing, Harper’s Ferry and its garrison are to be surrendered.  As Hill’s troops have borne the heaviest part in the engagement, he will be left in command until the prisoners and public property shall be disposed of, unless you direct otherwise.  The other forces can move off this evening as soon as they get their rations.  To what point shall we move?” Thomas Jackson Sep 15 1862

Jackson in a dispatch at 8AM on Sep 15.  Arrived at Lee’s HQ about noon advising of his success against Harpers Ferry on Sep 14. From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010. page 424

 

“We will make our stand in these hills.” Robert E. Lee Sep 15 1862

Lee calling out to D.R. Jones men as they arrived at Sharpsburg on Sep 15 1862. From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999. page 305

 

“I will join you at Sharpsburg.”

Thomas Jackson Sep 15 1862

Jackson to Lee. From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999. page 318

 

The Aftermath at South Mountain

 

“several of the generals had a consultation in what had been an old hotel.”

Ernest Linden Waite. Sep 15 1862. A historian of the 19th Mass recalls a meeting between the generals at Turner’s Gap. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 131

 

“lay thickly scattered, in some instances piled one upon another, over the field…Here lay a poor fellow with his head upon his arm, and his eyes closed as though in sleep; here another with gun clenched fast in his hand, and a determined look still upon his face; there, where the fire had been more deadly, lay several, the one across the other, as if the heat of battle had melted a battalion, and they had fallen….All animosity, at such a time, yields to the better impulses of our nature, and we wonder how it is that man can lift his hand to slay his brother”

A.P. Smith of the 76th New York reveals the scene of death upon the Frosttown Gap battlefield the next day. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 172

 

“In a trench a little above the log house…wrapped in their blankets we laid them tenderly away at he front of the hill they had helped to make immortal!! The enemy’s dead were also left for us to bury. The poor fellows lay where they fell, singly or piled up one across the other.”

Allen Albert

Sep 15 1862

Allen Albert of the 45th Pennsylvania describes burying the dead at Fox Gap. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 179

 

“It was a sickening sight to see them lying there just as they had fallen and my heart went out in sympathy for them and their dear ones they had left behind. We turned away in horror, thankful that we had been more fortunate than they in escaping the dangers of battle.”

Allen Albert Sep 15 1862 Allen Albert of the 45th Pennsylvania describes the aftermath at Fox Gap. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 172

 

“I awoke about five o’clock on the battlefield of yesterday and went out to see what war was without romance. I cannot describe my feelings, but I hope to God never to see the like again.”

Benjamin Hirst Sep 15, 1862

Sgt Hirst of the 14th Connecticut t looks out on the battlefield at South Mountain. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 127

 

“We passed several field hospital stations, where operations had been performed, and where had been left numerous arms and legs that had been amputated. These sights are not refreshing to advancing troops….it was a difficult task to gather their [Confederate] dead, as many of the killed had fallen into deep crevices between the huge boulders upon the mountain side.” Charles A. Fuller Sep 15, 1862

Lt Fuller of the 61st New York describes the collection of bodies on the South Mountain battlefield the following day.  From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 127

 

“There was abundant evidence of the rebel skedaddle down the mountain ahead of our troops in the way of blankets, knapsacks, and other impedimenta, evidently dropped or thrown away in flight.”

Frederick L. Hitchcock

Sep 15 1862

Lt Hitchcock of 132nd PA describes the apparent panic of the Confederate retreat off of South Mountain. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 132

 

“Looking around the yard, I saw a Beautiful, plump arm laying, which drew my attention & in looking a little [at] it, and seeing another of the same kind, I picked them up & laid them together & found that they are a right [arm] & one a left arm, which convinced me that they were off the one man &you could see many legs laying in the yard with the shoes & stockings on-not taken off when amputated” James Wren Sep 15 1862

Capt James Wren of the 48th Pennsylvania describes a surgical hospital. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 178

 

“I have seen all of war ever wish to.  The thing is indescribable.  Oh, horrors.” Member of 9th NH Sep 15 1862. Recalling Fox Gap. From  “Who Would Not Be A Soldier?” by Scott D. Hartwig. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999.

page 156

 

“Looked over part of the battle-field, and oh, it was horrible beyond description.” Member of 9th NH Sep 15 1862 Recalling Fox Gap. From  “Who Would Not Be A Soldier?” by Scott D. Hartwig. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999. page 156

 

“The dead lay in heaps, the rebel killed far outnumbering ours.  The road, the field, and the woods were strewn with corpses.  The enemy’s killed lay, as I have said, in heaps-absolutely piled up, just as they fell.  In one group there were no fewer then nineteen dead bodies, one hanging upon a fence, the feet off the ground….The spectacle was dreadful.” Robert Davidson

Sep 15 1862. Davidson of the 79th New York recalling the scenes on the Fox Gap battlefield on the morning after the battle.  From “The 79th New York Highlanders in the Maryland Campaign.” The Maryland Campaign of 1862 and its Aftermath, Civil War Regiments Vol 6 No. 2. Campell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998. page 74

 

“the enemy had fled during the night leaving their dead unburied and their wounded uncared for. The ground in many places was thickly strewn with the dead and wounded of both armies….Thirty-four of the enemy’s dead were counted in one spot only a few yards square.” William Osborne. Sep 15, 1862.  A soldier from the 29th Mass recalls the conditions on the day after the South Mountain battle. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 127

 

“Behind and in front of us, but especially in the angles of the stone walls, the dead bodies of the enemy lay thick: near the gaps in the fences they were piled on top of each other like cord-wood dumped from a cart.” William Todd. Sep 15 1862 Corporal William Todd, historian of the 79th describes the Fox Gap battlefield the day afterward. From “The 79th New York Highlanders in the Maryland Campaign.” The Maryland Campaign of 1862 and its Aftermath, Civil War Regiments Vol 6 No. 2. Campell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998. page 74

 

“We moved off the field, and on our way we saw many more evidences of the battle.  At one angle of the stone walls, fourteen bodies of the enemy were counted lying in a heap, just as they had fallen, apparently….A curious sight presented itself in the body of a rebel straddling a stone wall: he must have been killed while in the act of climbing over, for with a leg on either side, the body was thrown slightly forward stiff in death.  We were glad to leave these scenes behind us.” William Todd Sep 15 1862

Corporal William Todd, historian of the 79th describes the Fox Gap battlefield the day afterward. From “The 79th New York Highlanders in the Maryland Campaign.” The Maryland Campaign of 1862 and its Aftermath, Civil War Regiments Vol 6 No. 2. Campell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998. page 75

 

“A member of Colonel Colgrove’s [sic] regiment found a paper purporting to be Rebel Order No. 119 [191], which conveyed the information that one portion of the army was to go to Hagerstown and hold that place; and another proceed to Harper’s Ferry and dislodge Miles; and the third proceed against General White; and the force afterwards to concentrate at Hagerstown.” Washington Star Sep 15 1862. A newspaper account of the finding of SO 191 printed two days after its discovery. From “The Lost Order and the Press.” by Scott Sherlock. The Maryland Campaign of 1862 and its Aftermath, Civil War Regiments Vol 6 No. 2. Campell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998. page 176

 

Harpers Ferry

 

“General Hill, charge and give them the bayonet”

Thomas Jackson Sep 15 1862 Jackson ordering the capture of Harpers Ferry. From General A. P. Hill – The Story of a Confederate Warrior by James I. Robertson.  New York:  Random House, 1987. page 137

 

“We have done our duty, but where can McClellan be?”

Dixon Miles Sep 15 1862. Mortally wounded, Miles asks his aide this question. From Counter-Thrust From the Peninsula to the Antietam by Benjamin Franklin Cooling. Lincoln: University of Nebraska 2007. page 221

 

“What the hell are you fellows cheering for?”  Because Harpers Ferry is gone up God] damm] you.”  “I thought that was it.” Sep 15 1862

Dialog between a federal and confederate on the line in Pleasant Valley upon hearing the cheering of Confederate troops at the surrender of Harpers Ferry. From Sealed With Their Lives The Battle for Crampton’s Gap by Timothy J. Reese.  Baltimore:  Butternut and Blue,  1998. page 176

 

“Boys, he’s not much for looks, but if we’d had him we wouldn’t be caught in this trap.” A captured Union soldier

Sep 15 1862 A captured Union soldier describing Stonewall Jackson

 

“in no respect to be distinguished from the mongrel barefooted crew who followed his fortunes.” a Union Soldier. Sep 15 1862.  A Union soldier captured at Harpers Ferry describing Jackson  Withrow Scrapbooks. From Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend by James I. Robertson.  New York:  Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997. page 605

 

“I would rather take the place twenty times than undertake to hold it once” A.P. Hill. Sep 15 1862. Hill in conversation with Union General White at surrender of Harper’s Ferry. From General A. P. Hill – The Story of a Confederate Warrior by James I. Robertson.  New York:  Random House, 1987.

page 138

 

“We got 11,000 prisoners and all their commissary and quartermaster stores, including wagons and teams.” J.E.B. Stuart

Sep 15 1862.  Stuart reporting the capture of Harpers Ferry to Lee at Sharpsburg as overheard by Ltc Samuel McD Tate, 6th North Carolina. From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010. page 428

 

“General, did they have any shoes?  These good men are barefoot”

Robert E. Lee. Sep 15 1862.  Lee replying to Stuart’s report on the capture of Harpers Ferry.  as overheard by Ltc Samuel McD Tate, 6th North Carolina. From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010. page 428

 

“Ah, this is all very well, Major, but we have much hard work before us”

Thomas Jackson Sep 15 1862.  Jackson to JEB Stuart aide Heros Von Borcke upon capture of Harpers Ferry.  From Stonewall Jackson The Man, The Soldier, The Legend by James I. Robertson.  New York:  Macmillan Publishing Co, 1997.

page 605

 

“We have fallen back to this place to enable you to more readily join us. You are desired to withdraw immediately from your position on Maryland Heights and join us here…The utmost dispatch is required.” Robert E. Lee

Sep 15 1862 Lee to McLaws directing that he march to Sharpsburg. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 174

 

 

The Union Approach to the Antietam

 

 

“General McClellan desired that you send a staff officer to Headquarters at daylight in the morning to let him know everything that has happened during the night, and that you send reconnoitering parties out at daylight to ascertain if there is any enemy in your front, his strength, etc. Send him a report of what is seen as early as possible and have your command in readiness to attack the enemy early in the morning should he be found in our front at that time.” Albert V. Coburn Sep 15 1862

Dispatch from McClellan (AAG Colburn) to Sumner on the evening of Sep 15 1862. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 139

 

 

“The enemy is drawn up in large force in front; their line it is said extending a mile. As we do not know the number of their lines, it is impossible to estimate their entire force. Shall I make the necessary dispositions to attack & shall I attack without further orders?” Edwin V. Sumner Sep 15 1862

Sumner in a dispatch to McClellan describing the situation on Sep 15. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 136

 

“We have come up with the enemy about 5 miles from Shepherdstown drawn up in line of battle. They have a position formed there but with tow or three more batteries it will be expedient to attack.  Will it be inconsistent with our orders to move up within easy supporting distance[?] They are drawn up in an open field but only thee brigades of infantry has [sic] yet arrived. If practicable, it is expedient to attack tonight as they will be certainly off in the morning.” Joseph Hooker Sep 15 1862

Hooker’s dispatch to Sumner describing his first contact with the enemy on Sep 15. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 136

 

“Being separated from you for the present by force of circumstances, he will during such separation, report direct to these headquarters.”

George B. McClellan Sep 15, 1862.  8 AM order of Sep 15 1862 separating Hooker from Burnside’s command. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.

page 128

 

“The enemy is making for Shepherdstown in a perfect panic.”

George B. McClellan. Sep 15, 1862.  McClellan in an 8AM dispatch to Halleck the day after the battle of South Mountain. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 128.

 

 

“was promptly executed by that distinguished officer.”

Joseph Hooker. Sep 15 1862.  Hooker describing Richardson’s pursuit of the rebels on Sep 15 1862.  From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 130

 

The Confederates on the Antietam

 

“Put them all in, every gun you have long range and short range.”

James Longstreet Sep 15 1862. Longstreet to his gunners on Sep 15 ordering them to place them in positions where the Federals would see them around Sharpsburg. From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999.

page 304

 

“[his men] had been sustaining life on green corn and what cattle as they could kill in the fields.” D.H. Hill Sep 15 1862. D.H. Hill on food situation. From “Dirty, Ragged, and Ill-Provided For.” by Keith S. Bohannon. The Antietam Campaign, Ed. Gary Gallagher Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999. page 116

 

 

FRANKLIN IN PLEASANT VALLEY

 

“Thus far, our success is complete but let us follow up closely but warily.  Attack whenever you see a fair chance of success.”

George B. McClellan Sep 15 1862.  McClellan in orders to Franklin after the Battle of South Mountain.  From McClellan’s War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union by Ethan S. Rafuse.  Bloomington IN:  Indiana University Press, 2005.

page 303

 

“I have not the force to justify an attack on the force I see in front. I have had a very close view of it, an its position is very strong.” William Franklin

Sep 15 1862.An 11 AM dispatch from Franklin in response to McClellan’s order to march his corps to Sharpsburg to cut off the enemy ‘s retreat. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.

page 137

 

“The troops have not been able to come up sufficiently to-day to enable us to attack the enemy, but a reconnaissance will be made at daylight, and if he is found to be in position, he will be attacked.” William Franklin Sep 15 1862.  9PM dispatch from Franklin to McClellan Sep 15. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.

page 139

 

“It is his [McClellan's] desire to concentrate everything this evening on the force at or near Sharpsburg, and he will be satisfied if you keep the enemy in your front without anything decisive until the Sharpsburg affair is settled.” Randolph Marcy Sep 15 1862. 4:30 PM dispatch from Marcy to Franklin on Sep 15. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.

page 138

 

 

Vignettes

 

“It was near a small farmhouse and barn. It gushed out from under a shelving rock, formed a deep reservoir, and then flowed off the hillside in a beautiful river of sparkling water, enough for each, enough for all, enough for evermore.” Louis N. Chapin Sep 15 1862

Historian of the 34th NY recalls a memorable spring near Keedysville. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 141

 

“two acts of extraordinary merit, namely in finding and capturing the bread, and second, bringing it into camp intact, the latter act being considered supremely self-sacrificing.” Frederick L. Hitchcock Sep 15 1862. Ltc Vincent M. Wilcox of the 132nd Pennsylvania earns the gratitude of his fellow officers by bringing into cam a fresh home-made loaf of bread on the night of Sep 15. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 141

 

“If I was going to take Hell, I should want the 5th New Hampshire for skirmishers.” Israel B. Richardson. Sep 15, 1862.  Richardson talking about the 5th New Hampshire. From Until Antietam The Life and Letters of Major General Israel B. Richardson, U.S. Army by Jack Mason.  Carbondale IL:  Southern Illinois Press, 2009. page 173

 

“the scene was at once weird and impressive.  Hundreds of campfires were blazing as far as the eye could reach.  Some of the men were cooking, some stretched upon the ground chatting cheerfully, while others were enjoying a few hours sleep that the rest afforded.” Charles B. Page

Sep 15 1862 Page of the 14th CT describes the scene around the Pry House the night of Sep 15. From Guide to the Antietam Farmsteads by Kevin A. Walker. Sharpsburg: WMIA, 2010. page 132

 

“We are firing the passes of the Blue Ridge.” George B. McClellan September 14, 1862

At Dahlgren Road looking out over Turners and Fox's Gaps

Voices from September 14 1862

 

“The day has gone against us and this army will go by Sharpsburg and cross the river.  It is necessary to abandon your position tonight.”

Robert E. Lee

Sep 14 1862

Lee to McLaws reporting the defeat at South Mountain and his decision to retreat out of MarylandFrom Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999.

page 289

 

“We are firing the passes of the Blue Ridge. Have possession of the heights on the left of Hagerstown pike; are now attacking the right. Franklin is attacking the Rockville [Crampton's] Pass, through the same ranges. Thus far all goes well. Have taken about 100 prisoners. I have the troops in hand. They are confident, and hope to have gull possession of the passes by dark.”

George B. McClellan

Sep 14 1862

McClellan’s 4PM report to Halleck on the Battle of South MountainFrom Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.

page 121

 

The Gaps from North to South

Frosttown Gap

 

“when within fifty yards of the stone-fence, a murderous fire of musketry was opened upon us by the rebels, who lay concealed behind it, and swarms of bullets whistled about our ears. With a wild shout, we dashed forward while volley after volley was poured upon us; but we heeded it not; we rushed madly in.”

A.F. Hill Sep 14 1862

A.F. Hill of the 8th Pennsylvania Reserves describes the advance upon Frosttown Gap. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.

page 107

“children laid down upon the ground, the women shrieked, and the men displayed wondrous agility in leaping fences, which caused considerable amusement among us.”

Evan Woodward

Sep 14 1862

Sgt Woodward observes the effect of Confederate artillery on civilians from Middletown who came to witness the battle. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 93

“The air is now filled with shrieking lead, and we hear just ahead of us, the cheers and yells of the opposing troops, the never ceasing rattle of musketry, and the awful din of battle.”

George F. Noyes

Sep 14 1862

Capt Noyes of the 76th New York describes the fighting around Frosttown Gap. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 119

“Colonel, put your regiment into that cornfield and hurt somebody.”

Seymour, Truman Sep 14 1862. Truman Seymour ordering Col Joseph Fisher of 5th PA Res to advance into the cornfield at the top of Frosttown Gap. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 100

“as harmless as blank cartridge salutes to a militia general”

D.H. Hill describing the effect of enemy artillery at Frosttown Gap. From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010. page 359

“Gordon’s excellent regiment (which he had kept constantly in hand, and had handled in a manner I have never heard or seen equaled during this war.)” Robert E. Rodes describing the conduct of Gordon and the 6th Alabama

From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010.

page 350

 

Turner’s Gap

 

“General Stuart must have been mistaken as to the strength of the enemy.”

Alfred Colquitt addressing the large number of Federals approaching his position on Sep 14, 1862 at Turner’s Gap. From Lee’s Maverick General Daniel Harvey Hill by Hal Bridges.  Lincoln:  University of Nebraska Press, 1961. page 102

 

“Father wants you to put a shot in that house; it is full of rebel sharpshooters.” Union Colonel Meredith’s son, a member of his staff, requests that Lt Stewart of Battery B at the Beachley house. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.

page 126

“An ugly place to attack.”

Frank A. Haskell Sep 14 1862 describes the ground on which the Iron Brigade is to attack at South Mountain. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 125

“fellows were as cool and collected as if at target practice, and, in fact, on more than one occasion when gathered behind a boulder, one would ask the other to watch his shot and see where he hit.”

James P. Sullivan Sep 14 1862

Description of the skirmisher action at Turner’s Gap. From “They Must Be Made of Iron.” by Kent Gramm. Giants in Their Tall Black Hats – Essays on the Iron Brigade. Ed. Alan T. Nolan and Sharon Eggleston Vipond. Bloomington:  Indiana University Press, 1998.  page 23

“I can only call your attention to their list of casualties; it speaks for itself.”

Joseph Hooker, In his official report, Hooker commends the Iron Brigade. From “They Must Be Made of Iron.” by Kent Gramm. Giants in Their Tall Black Hats – Essays on the Iron Brigade. Ed. Alan T. Nolan and Sharon Eggleston Vipond. Bloomington:  Indiana University Press, 1998. cpage 26

“He recognized us and appreciated our efforts, but was unable to speak. The dread reality of war was before us in this frightful death upon the cold, hard stones. The mortal suffering, the fruitless struggle to send a parting message to the far off home, and the final release by death, all enacted in the darkness, were felt even more deeply than if the scene had been relieved by the light of day.”

Rufus Dawes recalls the death of William Lawrence. From “The Dread Reality of War.” Alan D. and Maureen Gaff. Giants in Their Tall Black Hats – Essays on the Iron Brigade. Bloomington:  Indiana University Press, 1998.  page 76

Fox Gap

 

“the vast army of McClellan spread out before me.  The marching columns extended back as far as the eye could see in the distance…It was a grand and glorious spectacle, and it was impossible to look at it without admiration.  I had never seen so tremendous an army before, and I did not see one like it afterward.”

D.H. Hill describing the spectacle of McClellan’s advancing army. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 62

“my God! Be careful, But I am paroled”

Augustus Moor

Sep 14 1862

Moor to Cox upon encountering him on National Road on the approach to South Mountain.  Moor had been paroled by Confederates

From “My God! Be Careful! Morning Battle at Fox’s Gap.”by Scott D. Hartwig.  The Maryland Campaign of 1862 Civil War Regiments:  A Journal of the American Civil War. Vol 5, No 3. Campbell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998.

page 30

“Had an inkling…that a mass meeting was to be held on that eminence to discuss the pros and cons of secession, and that we the Seventeenth, had received a passing invitation to present.”

Daniel Lane.  Pvt David Land of the 17th Michigan describes the approach to South Mountain

From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 67

“The loss of this brave and distinguished officer tempered with sadness the exultation of triumph. A gallant soldier, an able general, endeared to his troops and associates, his death is felt an irreparable misfortune.”

George B. McClellan

McClellan on the death of his West Point classmate Jesse Reno. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 179

“The Yankees on their side lost General Reno, a renegade Virginian, who was killed by a happy shot from the Twenty-third North Carolina.”

D.H. Hill.  Hill happily reporting the death of Jesse Reno at Fox Gap.  From OR 19 (1) page 1020

“their canister shot cut long furrows in the sod, with a noise like the cutting of a melon rind.”

Jacob D.Cox describing the sound of canister at Fox’s Gap. From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010. page 332

“I have seen all of war ever wish to.  The thing is indescribable.  Oh, horrors.”

Member of 9th NH Sep 15 1862

Another member of the 9th NH recalling Fox Gap

From  “Who Would Not Be A Soldier?” by Scott D. Hartwig. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999. page 156

“[bullets pattered about us like raindrops on the leaves…Then we heard the voice of Colonel Hayes saying: ‘Men of the Twenty-third, when I tell you to charge, you must charge…Charge Bayonets.’”

A member of the 23rd Ohio recalls future U.S. President Rutherford B. Haye’s command at Fox Gap.  From “My God! Be Careful! Morning Battle at Fox’s Gap.”by Scott D. Hartwig.  The Maryland Campaign of 1862 Civil War Regiments:  A Journal of the American Civil War. Vol 5, No 3. Campbell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998. page 40

“I must have been the fastest runner for I caught up with him and together we went to the foot of the mountain.”

Alfred Iverson, commanding the 20th NC recounts his sprint down South Mountain’ with Col McRae of the 5th NC.  From “My God! Be Careful! Morning Battle at Fox’s Gap.”by Scott D. Hartwig.  The Maryland Campaign of 1862 Civil War Regiments:  A Journal of the American Civil War. Vol 5, No 3. Campbell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998. page 51

“Parson, Parson- God Damn it, come back here; you have been praying all your life to get to heaven and now that you have a short cut you are running away from it.”

Duncan McRae recounting his run off South Mountain and encounter with the chaplain of one of Garland’s regiments as heard by Fred Foard of the 20th NC

From “My God! Be Careful! Morning Battle at Fox’s Gap.”by Scott D. Hartwig.  The Maryland Campaign of 1862 Civil War Regiments:  A Journal of the American Civil War. Vol 5, No 3. Campbell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998. page 51

“The wood and undergrowth were dense, and nothing but a pig path seemed to lead in the direction in which I was ordered…We marched on through the wood as rapidly as the obstacles in our passage would admit.  Each step forward brought nearer and nearer to us the heavy Federal lines, as they advanced, cheering their success and the possession of our dead and wounded.”  John B. Hood Sep 14 1862

Hood describes the advance of his division along the wood road to Fox Gap. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011. page 79

“I may as well be here as yourself.”

Samuel Garland Sep 14 1862 General Garland replying to Col Ruffin at Fox Gap moments before he is mortally wounded.  From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.

page 52

Crampton’s Gap

 

“stood for awhile and gazed at the magnificent splendor of the martial array that was slowly and steadily moving toward us across the plain below like a living panorama, the sheen of the glittering side-arms and thousands of bright, shiny musket barrels looking like a silver spangled sea rippling and flashing in the light of a midday sun.”

George M Neese Sep 14 1862 Neese reports on the advancing Union forces at Cramptons Gap. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 143

“Forward into the road and then give them the bayonet! It is death for all to hesitate now!”

Henry L. Cake Sep 14 1862. As the 96th Pennsylvania makes its last charge, Col. Cake urges them forward. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 151

“They came over the field grandly, the officers all in place and cheering the men onward, the men well aligned on the colors, with the Stars and Stripes floating above them…like devils let loose in the infernal regions.”

Sgt James Toomer of the 16th Virginia Infantry describes the advance of Torbert’s New Jersey brigade. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 150

“If you find something to do, do it!”

Henry Slocum Sep 14 1862 Henry Slocum to Colonel Cake of the 96th Pennslvania after asking the general for further instructions. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011. Page 144

“while clover is all right as a cow feed, when it comes to stopping bullets it don’t compare with a stone wall.”

J. Shaw of the 96^th Pennsylvania later writes about the fight at Crampton’s Gap. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  Page 148

 

“It must have been a grand sight from that mountain Pass to see the glistening splendor of that column as the bright September sun shone upon the arms and trappings of the moving force.”

Joseph Bartlett Sep 14 1862. Bartlett speculates on how his attacking column must have looked from the top of Crampton’s Pass. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.

“Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home.” George B. McClellan September 13, 1862

Special Order 191

Voices from September 13, 1862

 

“Here is a paper with which, if I cannot whip Bobbie Lee, I will be willing to go home.  I will not show the writing-here is the signature, and it gives the movement of every division of Lee’s army.  Tomorrow we will pitch into his center, and if you people will only do two good, hard days’ marching I will put Lee in a position he will find it hard to get out of.”

George B. McClellan, September 13 1862

McClellat to John Gibbon upon discover of SO 191. From Mr. Lincoln’s Army by Bruce Catton.  New York: Anchor Books 1990. page 217

 

“I have all the plans of the rebels…My respects to Mrs. Lincoln…Will send you trophies.”

George B. McClellan September 13 1862

Noon telegraph to President Lincoln announcing the discovery of Special Order 191.  From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999. page 237

 

“Please do not let him get off without being hurt.”

Abraham Lincoln,September 13 1862

Lincoln to McClellan. From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 30

 

“My general idea is to cut the enemy in two and beat him in detail.  I believe I have sufficiently explained my intentions.  I as of you, at this important moment, all your intellect and the utmost activity that a general can exercise.” George B. McClellan September 13 1862

McClellan’s orders to Franklin to rescue Harpers Ferry

From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010. page 287

 

“I think Lee has made a gross mistake and that he will be severely punished for it…I have all the plans of the Rebels and will catch them in their own trap if my men are equal to the emergency.”

George B. McClellan

September 13 1862

McClellan’s telegraph to Lincoln upon discovery of the lost order

From Cavalryman of the Lost Cause by Jeffry D. Wert.  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 2008. page 146

 

“we will pitch into his center [and] put Lee in a position he will find it hard to get out of.”

George B. McClellan, September 13 1862

McClellan to John Gibbon upon receipt of Special Order 191.  Gibbon Personal Recollections, 73; From Sealed With Their Lives The Battle for Crampton’s Gap by Timothy J. Reese.  Baltimore:  Butternut and Blue,  1998.

page 12

 

“but I am hopeful-and have been so lucky that I do not think I shall suffer except it may be a slight wound- No one can tell if it be my fate to fall-My body will be sent to you.” Edward S. Bragg, September 13 1862

Bragg from the 6^th Wisconsin in a letter to his wife. From  “I Dread the Thought of the Place.” by Scott D. Hartwig. Giants in Their Tall Black Hats – Essays on the Iron Brigade. Ed. Alan T. Nolan and Sharon Eggleston Vipond. Bloomington:  Indiana University Press, 1998.  page 31

 

“Doubleday exhibited the greatest gallantry in leading on his brigade under a terrible fire on the night of the 29th, and, with his aide-de-camp, Maj. U. Doubleday, and Capt. E.P. Halstead, assistant adjutant general, did much by reckless daring toward keeping this brigade from giving way when hard-pressed.”

John Hatch, September 13 1862

Division Commander John Hatch decribing Doubleday’s actions at Second Bull Run in his official report

From Abner Doubleday A Civil War Biography by Thomas Barthel. Jefferson:  McFarland & Co., 2010. page 106

 

“on his bob-tailed horse, with a single orderly, and when fairly recognized, was greeted with a cheer as uproarious and as hearty as to McClellan.  He was dressed so as to be almost unrecognizable as a general officer; wore a rough blouse, on the collar of which a close look revealed two much-battered and faded stars, indicating his rank of major-general.”

Frederick L. Hitchcock September 13 1862 Hitchcock describes the passing on the road of Ambrose Burnside.  From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 107

 

“this meant that we were to be ready to cheer ‘Little Mac’ when he came along, which of course, we all did. He came, preceded by a squadron of cavalry and accompanied by a very large and brilliantly caparisoned staff, followed by more cavalry. He was dressed in the full uniform of a major general and rode a superb horse, upon which he sat faultlessly.”

Frederick L. Hitchcock, September 13 1862

Hitchcock describes the passing of George McClellan. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 107

“as we entered the main street the drums sounded attention, and the troops marched in regular order, with bands playing and colors flying….This was the first real opportunity we have had of showing off to our grateful countrywomen, and we made the most of it, displaying our horsemanship to the best advantage.”"

Josiah Marshall Favill September 13 1862. Favill describes the entry of the 57th NY into Frederick. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 107

 

“as the full ranks of Sumner’s brigades, in perfect order and with all the pomp of war, passed through the quaint and beautiful town, their proud commanders and glittering staffs, and General Sumner at the head, the inhabitants responded with applause, and, from balcony and windows fair faces smiled and handkerchiefs and scarf’s waved to greet the army of the Union, as they passed along the streets from which, only the day before, the Confederates had been driven.”

John H. Rhodes, September 13 1862

Sgt John Rhodes of Franks battery describes the entry of the Union Army into Frederick. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 108.

 

“My eyes could hardly believe what they beheld there. The ‘Stars and Stripes’ were flying from every house and the people could not do enough for us, the were so overjoyed to be delivered from the rebel hordes that occupied the place.” Thomas M. Aldrich, September 13 1862

Thomas Aldrich of Tompkins Battery describes the entry into Frederick. From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008. page 108

 

“We may never meet again.”

Joseph K. F. Mansfield September 13 1862

Joseph Mansfield bidding farewell to fellow Connecticut native Gideon Welles as he departs to assume command of 12th Corps

From Lincoln’s Darkest Year The War in 1862 by William Marvel. Boston: Houghtin Mifflin Company Company, 2008.

page 188

 

 

“we forget home [,] friends [,] in fact [,] everything but our duties as soldiers….You ask what you should do if I should be killed.  It is a hard question, but I have seen so many men killed and die in the last few weeks that I will give you the best advice I can. If I should be killed in battle or die while in the service, you as the wife of a 1st Lieutenant will draw from the government, seventeen dollars per month for five years.  “

Henry B. Young September 13 1862

Lt Young in a letter to his wife Delia

From  “I Dread the Thought of the Place.” by Scott D. Hartwig. Giants in Their Tall Black Hats – Essays on the Iron Brigade. Ed. Alan T. Nolan and Sharon Eggleston Vipond. Bloomington:  Indiana University Press, 1998.  page 31

 

“but let me tell you I believe Stonewall Jackson, if he is not very careful, will get his ass in a sling while he is so far away from Richmond anyway”

Thomas B. Keen September 13 1862

Keen, a private in the 3rd NJ in a letter to his father, Jeremiah day before Battle for Cramptons Gap. From Sealed With Their Lives The Battle for Crampton’s Gap by Timothy J. Reese.  Baltimore:  Butternut and Blue, 1998.page 32.

 

“bold, prompt, energetic, and sagacious”

William Nelson Pendleton September 13 1862

Pendleton in a letter to President Davis who had asked Pendleton for “occasional confidential memoranda of the positions, doings &c of the army”

From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999. page 222

“How does it look now?” Abraham Lincoln, September 12, 1862

President Abraham Lincoln

Voices from September 12, 1862

“How does it look now?”

Abraham Lincoln

September 12 1861

4AM telegram from President Lincoln to General McClellan

From OR 19 (2) page 271

 

“From all I can gather secesh is skeddadelling…I begin to think that he is making off to get out of the scrape by recrossing the river at Williamsport…He evidently don’t want to fight me for some reason or other.” George B. McClellan September 12 1861

McClellan to his wife describing the advance into Maryland

From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  Page  30

“My columns are pushing on rapidly to Frederick.  I feel perfectly confidant that the enemy has abandoned Frederick, moving in two directions, viz., on the Hagerstown and Harpers Ferry roads.”

George B. McClellan September 12 1861

McClellan in a telegraph to Washington describing Lees apparent dividing of his army.  From Lee’s Maverick General Daniel Harvey Hill by Hal Bridges.  Lincoln:  University of Nebraska Press, 1961. Page 94

 

“Wholly unused to such fatigues, and totally unacquainted with reducing their loads to the minimum by dispensing with useless appendages and trappings, the march told upon the men severely….Overburdened, worn and weary, man after man, yielding to the inevitable, had dropped by the wayside, or straggling, broken and dejected, was struggling to reach the goal of his apparently endless journey.  The sergeant and the color-guard fell in complete exhaustion, and colonel himself bore the standard to the bivouac.  Three men to a company, as the ‘strength present for duty,’ was a creditable showing when the final halt was made.”

Historian of he 118th Pennsylvania September 12 1861. From  “Who Would Not Be A Soldier?” by Scott D. Hartwig. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999. Page 148

“heard several remarks made as to what they were going to do in the morning.” Samuel A. Barras September 12 1861

Barras, regimental adjutant of the 126th NY describes the night on Elk Ridge.

From  “Who Would Not Be A Soldier?” by Scott D. Hartwig. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999. Page 150

“[We could hear the enemy in pretty large force, by their talk, as I judged."

William H. Baird September 12 1861

Baird, regimental major of the 126th NY describes the night on Elk Ridge.

From  "Who Would Not Be A Soldier?" by Scott D. Hartwig. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999. Page 150

 

"a scared Governor ought not to be permitted to destroy the usefulness of an entire division of the army, on the eve of important operations....It is satisfactory in my mind that the rebels have no more intention of going to Harrisburg than they had of going to heaven.  It is only in the United States that atrocities like this are entertained."

Joseph Hooker, September 12 1861.

Hooker protesting to McClellan the reassignment of Reynolds to command militia in Pennsylvania at the height of the Maryland Campaign.  From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010. Page 204

 

Confederate Voices

 

"Before crossing the Potomac, I considered the advantages of entering Maryland east or west of the Blue Ridge.  In either case it was my intention to march upon this town [Hagerstown]“

Robert E. Lee, September 12 1862

Lee to Davis explaining his intentions to move on Hagerstown. From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999.

“General, I wish we could stand still and let the damned Yankees come to us!” James Longstreet, September 11 1862

Voices from September 11, 1862

 

Confederate

 

“General, I wish we could stand still and let the damned Yankees come to us!” James Longstreet, September 11 1862

Longstreet to Lee after he is ordered to proceed on to Hagerstown and to leave DH Hill at Boonsboro.  From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999. page 184

 

“General Branch: The major-general commanding directs me to say that Major-General Hill, having been released from arrest, will assume command of his division, and you will turn over to him all instructions received relative to it.”

E.F. Paxton, September 11, 1862

Jackson’s assistant adjutant general notifies General Branch that A.P. Hill is restored to command of the Light Division. From OR 19 (2) page 604.

 

Union

 

“If we should be defeated, the consequences to the country would be disastrous in the extreme.”

George B. McClellan September 11 1862

McClellan to Halleck describing the significance of the next battle with Lee

From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 28

 

“All evidence that has been accumulated from various sources since we left Washington goes to prove most conclusively that almost the entire rebel army in Virginia, amounting to not less than 120,000 men, is in the vicinity of Frederick City.

George B. McClellan

September 11 1862

McClellan letter to Halleck from Rockville MD

From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010.

page 183

 

“…if we defeat the army arrayed before us, the rebellion is crushed, for I do not believe they can organize another army.  But if we should be so unfortunate as to meet with defeat, our country is at their mercy.”

George B. McClellan September 11 1862

McClellan to Halleck describing the significance of the next battle with Lee

OR 19 (2) page 255

“We obviously have no friends in this town.” Thomas Jackson, September 10, 2011

Thomas J. Jackson

Voices from September 10, 1862

 

Confederate Voices

“We obviously have no friends in this town.”

Thomas Jackson

September 10 1862

While passing through Middletown Maryland, Jackson’s response to two young girls who waved American flags at Stonewall.

From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999. page 175

 

“Donning his coat and sword he mounted his horse and dashed to the front of his troops, and looking like a young eagle in search of his prey, he took command of his division to the delight of all his men” George Mills

September 10 1862

A North Carolina officer describing the suspension of A.P. Hill’s arrest

From General A. P. Hill – The Story of a Confederate Warrior by James I. Robertson.  New York:  Random House, 1987. page 135

 

“As soon as we came in sight of the Potomac the boys gave one of the loudest and most protracted & glorious shouts you ever heard.  We crossed by moonlight and the whole scene was one of the most inspiring I have ever witnessed.” William G. Deloney September 10 1862

Deloney of Cobbs Legion describing entry into Maryland

From Cavalryman of the Lost Cause by Jeffry D. Wert.  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 2008. page 141

 

“joys mine.  My command is okay.”

J.E.B. Stuart September 10 1862

J.E.B  Stuart to wife Flora on the good news that that Beverly Robertson had been transferred to North Carolina

From Cavalryman of the Lost Cause by Jeffry D. Wert.  New York:  Simon and Schuster, 2008. page 141

 

“We obviously have no friends in this town.”

Thomas Jackson

September 10 1862

While passing through Middletown MD, Jackson’s response to two young girls who waved American flags at Stonewall.

From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Joseph L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999. page 175

 

Suffice it that General Lee seems well to understand what he is about.  Yankeedom seems a good deal stirred up.” William Nelson Pendleton

September 10 1862

William Pendleton in a letter

From “We Don’t Know What on Earth to Do with Him-William Nelson Pendleton.”by Peter S. Carmichael. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1999. page 264

Union Voices

 

“bear comparison with the ruin and disasters which would follow a signal defeat of this army. Everything seems to indicate that [the Confederates] intend to hazard all upon the coming battle.  You may be sure that I will follow them as closely as I can, and fight them whenever I can find them.”

George B. McClellan

September 10 1862

McClellan in a letter to Gov Curtin of Pennsylvania

From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.  page 29

 

“an incompetent squirt”

Robert Ingersoll

September 10 1862

Col Ingersoll of the 11th Illinois Cavalry describes John Pope.

From General John Pope A Life for the Nation by Peter Cozzens.  Urbana:  University of Illinois Press, 2000. page 73

 

“their friends were anxious to get rid of them and of the penetrating ammoniacal smell they brought with them.”

Lewis H. Steiner September 10 1862

Steiner watches the reaction of the citizens as the Confederate Army left Frederick

From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by Jospeh L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999. page 171

 

“You can have no possible idea of the desolation of Va. The fences are gone, trees cut down, grass eat up for forage, and the country cut up by military roads.” Robert Kellog September 10 1862

Describing the countryside of Virginia.  From  “All Who Went into That Battle Were Heroes-Remembering the 16th Connecticut Volunteers at Antietam.” by Lesley J. Gordon. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999. page 173

 

 

“There are so many cooks. They destroy the broth.” Henry Halleck September 9, 1862

Union General-in-Chief Henry Halleck

Union Voices

“There are so many cooks.  They destroy the broth.”

Henry Halleck September 9, 1862

Halleck complaining in a letter to his wife. From How the North Won by Herman Hattaway and Archer Jones. Urbana:  University of Illinois Press 1983.

page 239

 

 ”We have bully times out here. We went out yesterday and caught four hogs and skinned them and roasted them over the coals. This morning we fetched in another hog and some ducks and chickens. We live first rate out here….Who would not be a soldier?”

Andrew Tehrune September 9, 1862

Rookie soldier Private Andrew Tehrune of the 13th NJ writing his cousin about foraging. From  “Who Would Not Be A Soldier?” by Scott D. Hartwig. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999. page 149

Confederate Voices

“What a set of ragamuffins they looked! It seemed as if every cornfield in Maryland had been robbed of its scarecrows and propped up against the fence….My costume consisted of ragged pair of trousers, a stained, dirty jacket; an old slouch at, the brim pinned up with a thorn; a begrimed blanket over my shoulder, a grease covered haversack full of apples and corn, a cartridge box full and a musket. I was barefooted and had a stone bruise on each foot…there was no one there who would not have been ‘run in’ by the police had he appeared on the streets of any populous city, and would have been fined the next day for undue exposure. Yet those grimy, sweaty, lean, ragged men were the flower of Lee’s army. Those tattered, starving unkempt fellows were the pride fo their sections.”

Harvey Judson Hightower of the 20^th Georgia describes himself.

September 9, 1862

A confederate describes himself.  From Burnside’s Bridge The Climactic Struggle of the 2nd and 20th Georgia at Antietam Creek by Phillip T. Tucker. Mechanicsburg:  Stackpole, 2000. page 5

 

“We have confidence in Genl Lee in directing our operations, confidant of the justness of our cause.”

John W. Harrison September 9, 1862

A man wrote just after the army crossed the Potomac

From “The Net Result of the Campaign Was in Our Favor.” by Gary Gallagher.  The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999. page 28

“As far as I can learn, the enemy are not moving in this direction, but continue to concentrate about Washington.” Robert E. Lee, September 8, 1862

General Robert E. Lee

Voices from September 8, 1862

 

Confederate Voices

 

“As far as I can learn, the enemy are not moving in this direction, but continue to concentrate about Washington.”

Robert E. Lee

September 8 1862

Lee displays his ignorance of the whereabouts of the Federal Army in a letter to Jefferson Davis

From The Battle of South Mountain by John David Hoptak.  Charleston:  The History Press, 2011.

page 23

 

“I never saw such pretty country or an old one in my life,…splendid crops have been raised in this part of Maryland and everything good to eat.”

H. Watters Berryman

September 8 1862

Pvt Watters Berryman of Co I 1st Texas describes Maryland

From “First Texas in the Cornfield.” by George E. Otott.  The Maryland Campaign of 1862 Civil War Regiments:  A Journal of the American Civil War. Vol 5, No 3. Campbell CA:  Savas Publishing Company, 1998.

page 77

 

“…your citizens have been arrested and imprisoned upon no charge and contrary to all forms of law.  The faithful and manly protest against this outrage made by the venerable and illustrious Marylander, to whom in better days no citizen appealed for right in vain, was treated with scorn and contempt; the government of your chief city has been usurped by armed strangers; your legislature has been dissolved by the unlawful arrest of its members; freedom of the press and of speech has been suppressed; words have been declared offenses by an arbitrary decree of the Federal Executive, and citizens ordered to be tried by a military commission for what they may dare to speak…”

Robert E. Lee

September 8 1862

Excerpt from Lee’s Proclamation to Marylanders

From The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 Vol. 1 South Mountain. Edited by Tom Clemens. New York:  Savas Beatie, 2010.

page 106

 

“The proposal of peace would enable the people of the United States to determine at their coming elections whether they will support those who favor a prolongation of the war, or those who wish to bring it to a termination, which can but be productive of good to both parties without affecting the honor of either.”

Robert E. Lee

September 8 1862

Lee to Davis that discusses political matters.  From Frederick MD

From Taken at the Flood Robert E. Lee & Confederate Strategy in the Maryland Campaign of 1862 by JoSeptemberh L. Harsh.  Kent:  The Kent State University Press, 1999.

page 127

 

Union Voices

 

 

“do not for a moment believe that either President, Congress, myself or any person connected with this government, will in any case entertain any proposition or suggestion or arrangement or accommodation or adjustment from within or without upon the basis of a surrender of the Federal Union.  We shall prosecute this war to its end.”

William Seward

September 8 1862

Seward conversation with French ambassador Mercier from Seward to Dayton

From Blue and Gray Diplomacy by Howard Jones. Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press, 2010.

page 213

 

“Brig. Gen. J.K.F. Mansfield, U.S. Volunteers, is relieved from duty in the Army of Virginia and will report in person to Major General McClellan.”

E.D. Townsend

September 8 1862

Special order 229 assigning Mansfield to the Army of the Potomac

OR 19 (2)

page 214

 

“Genl. S. [Sumner], although very strict as regards discharge of duty, is a most kindly disposed man.”

Paul J. Revere

September 8 1862

Col. Paul J. Revere describes Sumner to his wife.

From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.

page 87

 

“I did intimate something of the kind, that I feared increased responsibility just now.”

Oliver O. Howard

September 8 1862

Howard evidently professing to his wife in the late summer of 1862 that he preferred staying at brigade command

From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.

page 80

 

“quite disappointed after all when I found it [the division] given away and I was not asked to take it.”

Oliver O. Howard

September 8 1862

Howard disappointed that he did not receive the Second Corps division that went to General French

From Unfurl Those Colors! McClellan, Sumner, & The Second Army Corps in the Antietam Campaign by Marion Armstrong. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2008.

page 80

 

“all the hens within a mile have been bagged by our men.  One man in the vicinity had forty hens, and the boys took them all besides a pig.”

Albert A. Pope

September 8 1862

Pope of the 35th MA describes foraging in his diary

From  “Who Would Not Be A Soldier?” by Scott D. Hartwig. The Antietam Campaign. Ed. Gary Gallagher  Chapel Hill:  The University of North Carolina Press,  1999.

page 149