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Antietam battle sequicentennial
EagleEye
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This September 17th is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, MD. More than 6,000 soldiers lost their lives making it the bloodiest day in US history.
The battle is important in other ways too. It was the Confederate Army's first excursion north of the Potomac River (September 4-5). Taking the fight to the North on their own soil, although Maryland was a border state, not really a firm member of the "Union". Lee hoped the local populace would assist his army. With recent victories at 2nd Manassas, the Confederacy felt like it was on a roll. The North still controlled New Orleans and the Tennessee valley, but confederate raiders were making holding the Tennessee valley difficult.
The money situation in the North was quickly deteriorating. Stamps were being used instead of small change. The new Legal tender notes had no backing and sank in relation to gold with every loss the North suffered. Every loss further deteriorated trust in the currency.
Lincoln had a few weeks earlier announced his intention to free the slaves in states under rebellion against the United States, but couldn't make this public with the war going against the North. He needed a victory.
The mid-term elections were coming up and if the war continued to be lost, then more Peace Democrats (Copperheads) would get elected and push for recognition of the Confederacy. A loss of seats from the Republicans would also make foreign recognition of the Confederacy more likely.
In short, the North could not lose this battle.
If you have an Antietam commemorative please post it.
Here are some pictures I took of the battlefield and some period images.
This is the Dunker Church where heavy fighting took place.
This is the Hagerstown Pike (to the far right). One of the few images made during a Civil War battle
This is the aftermath.
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And recently
This is the "Burnside" Bridge.General Burnside's troops had to take the bridge with Confederate holding the ridge across from the bridge.
Here is a view from the Confederate position.
Here is a view from the Union position.
The "Bloody lane":
Soon after the battle:
The battle is important in other ways too. It was the Confederate Army's first excursion north of the Potomac River (September 4-5). Taking the fight to the North on their own soil, although Maryland was a border state, not really a firm member of the "Union". Lee hoped the local populace would assist his army. With recent victories at 2nd Manassas, the Confederacy felt like it was on a roll. The North still controlled New Orleans and the Tennessee valley, but confederate raiders were making holding the Tennessee valley difficult.
The money situation in the North was quickly deteriorating. Stamps were being used instead of small change. The new Legal tender notes had no backing and sank in relation to gold with every loss the North suffered. Every loss further deteriorated trust in the currency.
Lincoln had a few weeks earlier announced his intention to free the slaves in states under rebellion against the United States, but couldn't make this public with the war going against the North. He needed a victory.
The mid-term elections were coming up and if the war continued to be lost, then more Peace Democrats (Copperheads) would get elected and push for recognition of the Confederacy. A loss of seats from the Republicans would also make foreign recognition of the Confederacy more likely.
In short, the North could not lose this battle.
If you have an Antietam commemorative please post it.
Here are some pictures I took of the battlefield and some period images.
This is the Dunker Church where heavy fighting took place.
This is the Hagerstown Pike (to the far right). One of the few images made during a Civil War battle
This is the aftermath.
And recently
This is the "Burnside" Bridge.General Burnside's troops had to take the bridge with Confederate holding the ridge across from the bridge.
Here is a view from the Confederate position.
Here is a view from the Union position.
The "Bloody lane":
Soon after the battle:
Rick Snow, Eagle Eye Rare Coins, Inc.Check out my new web site:
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<< <i>More than 6,000 soldiers lost their lives making it the bloodiest day in US history. >>
and compared to gettysburg, the battle area is relatively and somewhat surpringly small to be the bloodiest US ground.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero, 106-43 BC
Larry L.
I find it amazing how 150 years really isn`t that long ago for all of the great accomplishments since then for a country...
AB
Here's a link to a pic of an MS68+ from CoinFacts. It's kind of big:
PCGS CoinFacts Link
Full CoinFacts Article
Radiant Collection: Numismatics and Exonumia of the Atomic Age.
https://www.pcgs.com/setregistry/showcase/3232
Fellas, leave the tight pants to the ladies. If I can count the coins in your pockets you better use them to call a tailor. Stay thirsty my friends......
DPOTD-3
'Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery'
CU #3245 B.N.A. #428
Don
150 years later and the marks of the Civil War are still echoing in our society and who we have become. Great post, Rick - thanks for putting it together.
"Look up, old boy, and see what you get." -William Bonney.
Rick's recent photo:
and the 1993 photo:
Here are a couple more pics of the Burnside Bridge from 1993:
And before I forget - here are pics of my Antietam half. These were taken 10 years ago with a 2 megapixel camera. Guess it's time to visit the SDB so I can re-shoot it
Jim
That tree is the oldest survivor of the battle. It was then when the shots were fired.
The image of the bridge on the coin is from the south with the ridge and the Confederate position on the left. Bill, your image is from the north with the ridge on the right, so it is from the opposite side of the bridge.
Also, I doubt any tree would last 150 years there, with floods and all.
Here is a map of the Maryland Campaign.
<< <i>Also, I doubt any tree would last 150 years there, with floods and all. >>
That is what the park guides and the brochure said when I took the tour in the 1990s. Maybe it is different now.
<< <i>I wonder why they even needed the bridge. Looks like they could have just walked across the creek. >>
There is a reason why that the name, "Burnside's Bridge," has been called a derogatory name. Before the battle it was known as "Rohrback Bridge." Instead of looking for a shallow point when his men could have waded across, of which there were at least several, Burnside concentrated his efforts on the bridge. That allowed 400 Confederate soldiers, who had the high ground above the bridge, were able to hold off 12,500 Union soldiers for several hours.
General Burnside was not one of the sharpest swords in the scabbard. In December at the Battle of Fredericksburg the Confederates held the high ground, looking down on the attacking Union soldiers, slaughtered the Yankees like fish in a barrel. It was truly awful, and yet Burnside was unable to think out of the box. He ordered assault after assault on the Confederate position with equally disastrous and predictable results. Ultimately other officers had to restrain Burnside from personally leading yet another attack on the Confederate position. After "Burnside's mud march" in January he was removed as the commander of the Army of the Potomac.
The swan song of Burnside's military career came at Petersburg in the summer of 1864. There a group of Pennsylvania coalminers dug a tunnel under a Confederate redoubt and filled it with explosives. After the explosion the Union soldiers acted as if they were disorganized as the stunned Confederates. Burnside, along with a couple of other generals, got sacked for that fiasco.
Here is a Civil War token view of General Ambrose Burnside, from whom the term "sideburns" came.
<< <i>Also, it appears I am wrong: Witness tree >>
VERY cool!!