A Youth's History of the Great Civil War
Van Evrie, Horton & Co., ©1866
Revised edition, ©2006 www.ronie-mooney-encs.us
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CHAPTER XXX, LEE IN MARYLAND-BATTLE OF ANTIETAM
WITH the ridiculous failure of General Pope, the "Army of Virginia" which had been created to blot out "the Army of the Potomac," passed out of existence, and the old name of "the Army of the Potomac" was a power again, and McClellan was reinstated in command.
It was a bitter pill for the Administration to take, to put forward General McClellan, after they had so publicly insulted and belittled him. But the cry of "Washington is in danger!"was reverberating over the North. Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet were trembling with fear. And it was seen that the army demanded McClellan again.
For although he had not, at this time, been formally removed, he had been put under a cloud, a fact which caused a universal discontent, in the Army of the Potomac especially. Indeed, there was no alternative for Lincoln but to reinstate McClellan. Virginia had been cleared of Federal troops, and Lee was preparing to march into Maryland, with a view of pushing his army into Pennsylvania. The result of Pope's campaign had really been to put the Administration at Washington completely on the defensive.
On the fourth day of September, General Lee actually crossed the Potomac River, into the State of Maryland.
Whether General Lee had any object in this movement further than to possess himself of the immense Federal army stores at Harper's Ferry, and to replenish his commissary department generally, is very doubtful. Lee invaded Maryland with three army corps, commanded respectively by Generals Jackson, Longstreet, and Hill.
Jackson was to march directly for Harper's Ferry, while Hill and Longstreet were entrusted with the responsibility of watching and holding in check General McClellan in any effort he might make to protect the Federal force at Harper's Ferry.
General McClellan had only been reinvested with command twelve days when this movement on Lee's part was made. To keep McClellan from reaching Harper's Ferry, Longstreet was directed to march directly to Hagerstown, in Maryland, and there to wait until McClellan's movements should develop. Immediately General McClellan moved his entire force in the direction of the mountains which Lee suspected he would, and to provide for which Lee sent General D.H.Hill to check him. Hill's instructions were to hold a certain point at all hazards until Jackson had reached Harper's Ferry. That point is known as Boonsboro' Gap.
At this place a severe battle occurred. At first the Confederates, being greatly outnumbered, were being terribly pressed, and the Confederate General Garland was killed, but at length reinforcements arrived under General Longstreet, and the fighting was desperate on both sides. When night shut down upon the bloody scene the two opposing armies occupied the same position they did in the morning at the opening of the battle.
But the Confederates had gained their object, which was to prevent reinforcements from reaching Harper's Ferry.
While the battle was progressing at Boonsboro' Gap, General Jackson was capturing Harper's Ferry. During the night he placed his heaviest guns in position, and in the morning opened upon the place from all directions. At half past seven, A.M.,the place surrendered. The Federal commander, Colonel Miles, had one of his hips shot away in the engagement.
Jackson took twelve thousand troops, twelve thousand stand of arms, seventy-three pieces of artillery, and over two hundred wagons. This surrender took place on the 14th of September. General Lee, perceiving that McClellan was massing his whole force, united his army as far as practicable at a point near Sharpsburg, about eight miles to the west of Boonsboro' Gap. At this place occurred, on the 17th of September, the memorable battle of Antietam, which takes its name from the beautiful valley where it was fought. General Lee was strongly posted, but he had not over forty-five thousand men, while the Federal army numbered nearly a hundred thousand. McClellan commanded in person, while under him were Generals Burnside, Porter, Hooker, Sumner, Franklin, Meade, Sedgwick, and Pleasanton, commander of cavalry.
The battle was opened by an assault upon Lee's left which was held by Stonewall Jackson. Hooker led the attack with eighteen thousand men well posted in the high grounds where Jackson lay with a force of only four thousand. In that day's terrible fight nearly one half of these brave fellows were left dead upon the field of slaughter. The whole force of both armies was soon at work in one of the fiercest conflicts that occurred during the war. The very earth shook all day with the terrible shock of battle. The tide of success was now with one side, and now with the other, until each must have welcomed the friendly night which put a stop to the horrible slaughter.
The Federal historian of the Army of the Potomac, Swinton, admits that the fortunes of this day's dreadful fighting were rather with the Confederates,notwithstanding the vast disproportion of numbers, and his opinion is sufficiently sustained by the fact that during the night, McClellan disappeared from the front, leaving his dead unburied on the sanguinary field where they had poured out their blood so heroically.
The loss of the Federals in this battle was, in killed and wounded, twelve thousand five hundred men. That of the Confederates was over eight thousand. All day of the 18th of September, both armies were too much exhausted to renew the deadly strife. And during the night of that day General Lee withdrew across the Potomac, without an effort on the part of McClellan to prevent him. On the 20th General McClellan commenced to cross the river into Virginia, but no sooner was one column across than it was badly repulsed and driven back into the river by General A.P.Hill.
Thus ended all attempts to follow up Lee, with the immense stores he had gained by his brief campaign in Maryland. Of Lee's return to Virginia, an abolition paper bitterly said: "He leaves us the debris of his late camps, two disabled pieces of artillery, a few hundred of his stragglers, perhaps two thousand of his wounded, and as many more of his unburied dead. Not a sound field-piece, caisson, ambulance, or wagon, not a tent, a box of stores, or a pound of ammunition. He takes with him the supplies gathered in Maryland, and the rich spoils of Harper's Ferry."
If General Lee's intention in passing into Maryland was simply to gather supplies, his campaign was a great success; but if, as was and is generally believed, he meant to make a stand on that side of the Potomac, as a base of operations against the North, then he signally failed. For the battles which McClellan had delivered against him, though not victories, had caused him to recross into Virginia, and give up the invasion of the North.
But the campaign cost McClellan his command. The abolition leaders, who were but too glad of an opportunity to destroy him, seized upon the fact that Lee, with his inferior force, had done so much damage, and escaped safely back into Virginia. One day, while McClellan was sitting in his tent at Beckertown, conversing with General Burnside, he received the following despatch from Washington:
"General Order,No.182
"WAR DEPARTMENT, ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S OFFICE,
"WASHINGTON, NOV. 5TH, 1862
"By direction of the President of the United States, it is ordered that Major-General McClellan be relieved from command of the Army of the Potomac, and that Major-General Burnside take the command of that army.
"By order of the Secretary of War."
General McClellan coldly read the dispatch, and handing it to Burnside, said: "Well, Burnside, you are to command the army."
Thus ended General McClellan's military career in the great abolition war.
Just previous to the removal of General McClellan on the 22d of September, Mr.Lincoln had issued what he called his "preliminary Proclamation of Emancipation," that is, he announced that if "the rebels," as he called them, did not submit on or before the 1st day of January, 1863, he would issue an edict, "freeing all their slaves, and would pledge the Government to maintain that freedom." Of course Mr. Lincoln had no more right to do all this than he had to issue a decree making himself Dictator for life. I have shown you how solemnly he declared that the war was prosecuted "to preserve the rights of the Stated," and now when only a year had elapsed, he completely falsifies his own word.
No man ever lost such a glorious chance for immortality as General McClellan did, when he did not resign; his commission in the army upon this announcement being made. Thousands of brave and gallant boys had enlisted under the solemn promise first made by Mr.Lincoln, and if General McClellan had set an example of resigning, it would probably have produced such an effect in the army that the abolitionists would have been compelled to withdraw it. If they had been thus forced to give up their negro freedom idea, we should soon have had peace,for they would never have prosecuted the war for any other purpose.
General McClellan, however, did not resign. Yet the effect of the proclamation in the army was very great. We shall refer to it in another chapter.
After the battle of Antietam Mr.Lincoln had visited the battle-field, and an incident, entirely authentic, is related, showing with what levity and indifference he viewed the scene of the dreadful carnage and slaughter.
"There," said McClellan, who was riding by his side, "we buried eight hundred gallant and noble fellows."
Mr.Lincoln, scarcely glancing at the spot, exclaimed, "Mac, did you ever hear Major P. sing Old Dan Tucker?"
The general shook his head in evident sorrow at such desecration of the newly-made graves about him, when Mr.Lincoln, calling to Major P, who was riding a few rods in the rear, insisted that he should sing "Old Dan Tucker" for General McClellan, and it was done.
If this statement was not authenticated beyond doubt, I should hesitate to put it in here, for never before over the fresh graves of a battle-field did one whose heart ought to have wept tears of blood, indulge in such unfeeling, such unholy jests.
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