BEST WESTERN Westminster Hotel MD: The Battlefields

The battle began at dawn on the 17th when Union General Hooker's artillery fired on Jackson's men in the cornfield north of town. Hooker's troops advanced. At 7 a.m. Jackson was reinforced and drove Hooker back. At 8 a.m. Union troops under General Mansfield counterattacked and by 9 o'clock regained the ground. General Sedgwick's division of Sumner's corps advanced into the West Woods. Confederate troops attacked Sedgwick's men on both flanks and inflicted heavy casualties. Meanwhile, General French's division of Sumner’s corps moved to support Sedgwick, but was diverted south into Confederates under General Hill. For nearly 4 hours, fighting raged along an old road (known as Bloody Lane) as French's division tried to drive the Southerners back. Confusion and exhaustion ended the battle in the northern part of the field.

Southeast of town, Union General Burnside's troops crossed a bridge over Antietam Creek and were engaged by 400 Georgians, who kept them at bay. Burnside finally crossed the bridge (known as Burnside Bridge), advanced up the slope, and drove the Georgians back to Sharpsburg. This action threatened to block the line of retreat for the Confederates. General Hill's division, left behind at Harpers Ferry, arrived on the field and joined the Georgia Company. Burnside's troops were driven back near the bridge. With no clear victor, the Battle of Antietam ended. However, due to heavy losses, Lee withdrew his army across the Potomac River the next day.

More men were killed or wounded at Antietam on September 17, 1862, than on any other single day of the Civil War. More than 26,000 (12,400 Union and 13,700 Confederate) casualties resulted from the day’s battle. Approximately 4,000 were killed, and in the days that followed, many more died of wounds or disease. The village of Sharpsburg became a communal hospital and the burial ground extended for miles. Established on August 30, 1890, Antietam National Cemetery contains nearly five thousand Union remains buried here from the Battles of Antietam, South Mountain, and Monocacy.

Although neither side gained a decisive victory, Lee's failure to invade effectively into the North prompted Great Britain to decline recognition of the Confederate government. The battle gave President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which, on January 1, 1863, declared free all slaves in States still in rebellion against the United States. Now the war had a dual purpose: to preserve the Union and end slavery.

General Hancock’s Second Corps bivouacked in Uniontown, then marched through Taneytown to Gettysburg. This same evening General Gregg’s Calvary marched through New Windsor and towards Hanover. General Sykes’ Fifth Corps camped at Union Mill’s on Route 97 the next day following the Confederate’s exact route. Sixty thousand soldiers marched through Carroll County on their way to Gettysburg and the most famous battle of the Civil War.

On Oak Ridge, CSA General Davis' Brigade flanked Cutler's Brigade near an excavated railroad bed and forced them to retreat to Seminary Ridge. By 3:30 p.m., the entire Union line had broken apart. Some troops made a final stand near the Seminary. Most Union soldiers were forced to retreat through Confederate fire through the streets of Gettysburg. A rear guard, the 16th Maine Infantry was trapped and forced to surrender. On the summit of Oak Hill and surrounded by Confederate artillery guns, the Eternal Light Peace Memorial commemorates the historic battlefield.

On the morning of July 2, 1863, General Lee decided that General Hill would maintain the Confederate centerline while General Longstreet's Corps would attack the Union left, and General Ewell's Corps would attack the right. Longstreet’s men had an eighteen-mile march to get into position on southern Seminary Ridge.

The northern crest of Cemetery Ridge, General Hancock rallied his defeated Union troops on Cemetery Hill is after the first day of the battle. By the morning of July 2, Cemetery Hill was heavily fortified with its base ringed with infantry and three artillery batteries protecting the summit. The Soldier’s National Cemetery and the National Park Service Visitor’s Center are located here.

Cemetery Ridge runs southward 1½ miles to the Round Tops and was a strategic position for infantry and artillery to cover the west where the main Confederate attack threatened. Against orders, General Sickles moved away from the main Union line on Cemetery Ridge to the Peach Orchard leaving the left of the Union army open to attack. Longstreet's Confederate troops were anchored by the Mississippi Brigade and the Georgia Brigade, whose objective was to attack the Union troops in the Peach Orchard. At 4 p. m., CSA artillery along this line opened fire on Union regiments stationed in the Peach Orchard. The Mississippians broke through the Union defenders and Sickles' exposed line collapsed. The Confederates pushed on to Plum Run. General Sickle’s advance left Little Round Top undefended until late in the afternoon of July 2. This station held a commanding view of the battlefield to the north and west. The 15th Alabama Infantry engaged Colonel Chamberlain’s 20th Maine Infantry Regiment at the summit. As both sides ran low on ammunition, Chamberlain ordered the bayonet and surprised the Alabamians who retreated or surrendered. On the opposite end of the line, the 140th New York Infantry charged the 4th and 5th Texas Infantry Regiments. The attack of the New Yorkers stalled the last CSA attack on Little Round Top, and the Confederates withdrew to Big Round Top.

On the afternoon of July 2, Confederates struck Devil’s Den from three directions. Repeated charges by the 15th Georgia and the 1st Texas Infantry weakened the Union position. As the battle for Devil's Den raged, the last of General Hood's brigades charged toward the 19-acre Wheatfield. Fighting began at 4:30 when the Georgia Brigade swept through the woods to the south and encountered Union regiments, who kept the Confederates at bay for nearly an hour. However, Southern forces were relentless, and the Union soldiers withdrew from the Wheatfield. The 17th Maine was ordered about face to cover the retreat with a desperate bayonet charge. Finally, the Georgia brigade swept the field and won the ground. The Wheatfield was one of the bloodiest sites on the battlefield. Charge and counterattack left this field littered with more than 4,000 casualties.

Culp's Hill was the right flank of the Union line at Gettysburg. At dusk on July 2, the Union troops heard Confederates at the eastern base of the hill. The attack began at 8 p.m. and ended at midnight. Union artillery began bombardment at 4 a.m., followed by the advance of Union regiments. The Confederates fought without the benefit of artillery support. A Union attack near Spangler's Spring was countered with a charge by the 1st Maryland CSA. By 10 a.m., a Union counterattack had succeeded and Culp’s Hill was secure.

On the morning of July 3, Union General Meade’s army formed a curved line anchored along Cemetery Ridge. After Culp's Hill, General Lee altered his strategy and decided to attack a perceived gap in Union’s centerline with a bombardment. After two hours, the Union guns fell silent and Lee thought they had withdrawn. At 3 p.m., 12,000 Confederate soldiers made their way up to the Angle at the Union center. General Longstreet reluctantly commanded the last great charge of the battle. General Pickett's Division of Virginia soldiers, General Pettigrew’s Division and General Trimble’s two brigades made the charge (Pickett's Charge). The charge began at Spangler Woods near the Virginia Monument, leads across a mile of open field, across the Emmitsburg Road, and up to the Angle. Seven thousand Union soldiers were positioned in the area of the Angle. Pickett's soldiers charged over the wall, and fighting was brutal hand-to-hand in the trees. The remaining Union batteries blasted the southerners. With no reinforcements or support, the Confederates could not hold the Angle. Here stands a small grove of trees and the High Water Mark of the Rebellion Monument, dedicated in 1892. The monument lists the commands of both armies that participated in Pickett's Charge.

Gettysburg National Military Park 717- 334-1124
Park grounds and roads are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
http://www.nps.gov/gett

Confederate forces clashed with the Union defenses at the Junction, but then withdrew to seek an easier river crossing. One mile west, they crossed at the Worthington-McKinney Ford and on the Worthington farm encountered Rickett’s men. The initial Confederate attack was thrown back, but reinforcements outnumbered the Union forces. Although greatly outnumbered, General Wallace’s troops fought the entire day with heavy losses delaying the Confederates advance. Early’s Confederate forces were exhausted by the day’s fighting and did not reach Washington until reinforcements arrived to defend the Capitol. This battle ended General Lee’s third and final attempt to invade the North’s home ground.

The battlefield is open from April to October from 8 am to 4:30 pm. From November to March, it is open Wednesday through Sunday. Hiking trails, guided tours and auto tours are available.