Wisconsin at Antietam by Cal Schoonover

Author:Cal Schoonover [Schoonover, Cal]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, United States, State & Local, General
ISBN: 9781467142151
Google: y0PZDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
Published: 2020-05-15T03:08:50+00:00

4

ON TO ANTIETAM CREEK

Early the next morning, September 15, civilians could not wait to rush reports to McClellan about the Confederates’ disorganized mass retreat. When it was known for sure that Lee had retreated, McClellan ordered his cavalry to move out in advance of Hooker’s, Sumner’s and Mansfield’s corps. McClellan issued orders to pursue Lee immediately and crush his army. Burnside and Porter marched along the Old Sharpsburg Road. Franklin, with his corps, was to advance into Pleasant Valley and halt at Rohrersville with the possibility of relieving Harpers Ferry. However, Franklin soon learned that help was no longer needed at Harpers Ferry and continued to Sharpsburg.

The pursuit of Lee down South Mountain was difficult for all involved. Not even a full twenty-four hours had passed since the heated exchange at all three gaps, with the men still exhausted. The Iron Brigade, known for their hard fighting, along with their black hats, was no different. Sergeant William H. Harries of Company B, 2nd Wisconsin, recalled when marching “finding myself going to sleep as I walked, my gun dropping out of my hand.” After the loss at Second Bull Run, followed by the hectic fight at Turner’s Gap, the Wisconsin regiments had shrunk considerably since their organization. That, however, would not demoralize the Iron Brigade, and they did not lack courage. Although tired and having a difficult time marching down “rough roads,” the Wisconsin men, with the rest of the First Corps, marched on.83

When night fell on September 14, General Lee realized the fight at South Mountain had gone against him and abandoned his northern invasion plan for the time being. Lee soon sent dispatches to Jackson to march from Harpers Ferry to cover the main army crossing the Potomac at Shepherdstown Ford. Longstreet and D.H. Hill were to push their commands to Hagerstown. The retreat harshly affected Longstreet’s command; the large numbers of stragglers demoralized the remaining soldiers, making the march harder. By early morning on the fifteenth, Longstreet’s command was crossing the Antietam Creek with General D.H. Hill’s division. They took place in a line of battle between the Antietam and the village of Sharpsburg. Not long after getting into position, Longstreet received word that Harpers Ferry was in control of Jackson’s men.

As Lee’s army continued advancing toward Sharpsburg, Union Cavalry chief major general Alfred Pleasonton, with the 8th Illinois Cavalry, led by Colonel John F. Farnsworth, continued ahead of the main army. Pleasonton’s cavalry neared Boonsboro before clashing with the 4th and 9th Virginia Cavalry. Farnsworth led the Union charge; Fitzhugh Lee led the Confederate. Lee’s cavalry checked the charging Union cavalry, forcing them to back off. Unlike the Union cavalry, Lee’s troopers had been in the saddle for the previous four days before finally being able to dismount. Their rest was short-lived, as Pleasonton and Farnsworth made their appearance. It was a rather short fight that resulted in the Confederate cavalry continuing to push through Boonsboro.

Major General Israel B. Richardson’s division, of the Union’s Second Corps, was

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