Confederate General Joseph Lee Hookers 8700 Troops example essay topic

In the summer of 1862, the confederates found themselves as the aggressors. In the Eastern Theater, Lee's army of Northern Virginia had driven the Union Armies away from the Confederate capital, Richmond and was preparing to invade Maryland. In the western theater, the confederate armies were also moving strong, into Kentucky. Due to the war France and Britain were feeling the strain as cotton from the southern states was starting to diminish.

President Lincoln was thinking of taking a risky step to seal victory. At this point in time he came to the realization that he needed to move in a different direction. The strategic goal to restore the Union was not a good enough reason to keep the Northern states interested and behind the war. Lincoln decided to offer the North a new reason to stay in the fight and the British to stay out of the war, however he needed a good victory under his belt to use for this change in strategic planning.

The problem was how to break the news of this change in strategy before the Confederates tore through the union on the battlefield and effected his troops morale. A month prior Generals Lee and Jackson were crossing guns with Pope at Manassas#. Lee moved his army across the Potomac River into Maryland on September 4, 1862. At this point in time his objective was to claim Harrisburg. # On his way he spread his troops around Maryland to show everyone his strength, gathering supplies#, rounding up volunteers and he also managed to threaten Baltimore, Washington and even Philadelphia. Lee's plan was that McClellan would eventually come out of Washington to fight him and he would have plenty of time to choose the ground that he wanted to fight on and secure the southern victory.

Lee choose the Shenandoah Valley as his supply route. Unfortunately the Union controlled Harpers ferry at the northern opening of the valley. This Union force could cut off the confederate supply route of wagon trains loaded with ammunition, which could not be obtained locally. Lee decided that harpers ferry would have to be taken in order to continue on. Lee ordered Jackson to lead three columns to capture Harpers Ferry. Once Jackson was finished in Harpers Ferry he would move back to rejoin the rest of the army.

September 2, 1862 was also the day in which McClellan again regained control and command of the union forces in Virginia and Washington. The next day General Hall eck told McClellan that with Pope's army wiped out from Manas as and Lee on his way that he should expect the Confederates to take advantage of this and capture Maryland and maybe even Pennsylvania. He was instructed to hurry. Hurrying was not a trait that McClellan was known for.

McClellan took his time and began to draw out on paper how this battle would be won. He then began moving troops around, combining armies from all regions. As McClellan was doing this President Lincoln became inpatient and ordered McClellan to move. Lee had outlined his whole strategy and told of the troubles the confederacy was having in Special Order 191, he copied and sent it out to all commanders.

Lee also sent these orders to one of his division commanders that had been detached. On September 13, 1862 a Union corporal found these orders wrapped in three cigars at an abandoned Confederate camp near Frederick. These orders were quickly delivered to McClellan and this gave him a unique opportunity. Despite this knowledge McClellan still believed that Lee's troops outnumbered his own. Word of this reached Lee and he dispatched the long street corps to perform damage control at south mountain. Lee ordered the remainder of his troops to concentrate near the Potomac on a little crossroads on Antietam Creek, In the town of Sharpsburg#.

McClellan's men were ordered to cross over south mountain and quickly found that Lee had fortified this area. McClellan pushed through and took this area as a victory. Since Lee knew of McClellan's fortune in finding the 191 orders he quickly began executing changes. McClellan not moving as quickly as Lincoln wanted could sense that the orders were no good anymore.

Lee received word from Jackson that he had taken Harpers Ferry# Lee immediately ordered Jackson and his men to Antietam creek. These 41,000 added to the 19,000 men that Lee currently held there. Lee held a 4 mile ridge line with the creek between them and the Union. However the Potomac was to their back and this strategically was very dangerous. On the 16th of September Lee watched as McClellan marched his sea of 71000 soldiers into the valley. Yet, McClellan did not attack believing that Lee was 120,000 strong.

In true McClellan fashion he waited an unnecessary 24 hours. McClellan ordered a bulk of his Army to attack the left flank of the Confederate army. For some reason McClellan had forgotten to give his Generals battle plans. Each Union general was at the mercy of waiting for orders from McClellan's quarters or moving on their own.

The confederate General Joseph Lee Hookers 8700 troops went for Lees right flank through a cornfield where they ran directly into Jackson's men. For over an hour thousands of men were lost by charging and counter charging. Jackson was holding the flank but just barely, he had taken a great blow to his troops numbers. Lee immediately shifted troops to reinforce Jackson's army. After the cornfield attack another attack was ordered and the Union divisions became spread out and one of these divisions stumbled into Lees right flank of heavy artillery where the division became wiped out.

The other two divisions headed for a sunken road that acted as trench to which the confederates could fight from. These divisions were severely hit but they managed to gain the sunken road# The Confederates center was cut wide open. The fighting was so fierce that Lee failed to recognize his own powder blackened son who was a gunner. At this point in time McClellan, thinking that Lee had an army 120000 strong ordered his men to stand fast and take up defensive positions. Late in the afternoon General E. Burnside's Corps became the only attack.

McClellan ordered Burnside to keep charging a stone bridge. There were 550 Confederate soldiers sitting on a hill sniping these men out. Burnside eventually succeeded in crossing the bridge and wiped out the Confederates and made their way up the ridge. In the dusty distance a large army appeared on Burnside's flank. Burnside thought these were reinforcements. The confederate army wearing union uniforms# attacked at the right time and place sending Burnsides men back to the bridge they had fought 14 hours to claim.

The sun finally set on the bloodiest battle that this country has ever seen. All in all 12,400 union casualties and 10,300 Confederate casualties# Although neither side really "won" this bloody battle at Antietam, this battle had a very big significance on America. The next day heavily battered Lee withdrew. This was just the battle that President Lincoln had been waiting for. On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation#.

The proclamation declared that unless the Southern states returned to the union by January 1, 1863, all the slaves in those states "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever, free.".