On this date 149 years ago, the Union Army of the Potomac achieved victory in the first significant battle fought north of the Potomac River during the American Civil War. For an in depth narrative of the battle, I suggest The Battle of South Mountain by John Hoptak, which I can't recommend highly enough. It is an excellent and engaging narrative of the day's events, placing them within the larger strategic context of the campaign, some of which I will cover below.
Lee had come north into Maryland hoping for a victory which would have a wide ranging impact. The summer of 1862 had been one of many strategic and tactical victories for the Confederacy, and at Second Manassas in late August, Lee and his lieutenants Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet had effectively destroyed John Pope's Army of Virginia. Coming north into Maryland and defeating another Union army offered the possibilities of bringing about European recognition for the Confederacy, Maryland's secession from the Union, and even placing enough political pressure on Lincoln to bring the war to a close. Should Lee achieve a victory in Maryland on par with the one he had achieved at Manassas in late August, the Civil War would likely have had a very different ending.
However, once in Maryland, Lee realized he had a pesky problem located at Harper's Ferry. 12,000 Union soldiers were garrisoned there. Lee had initially assumed these troops would vacate the town in favor of a safer location, but he had assumed wrong. Thus, the Confederate commander split his forces, sending Stonewall Jackson with 20,000 men to Harper's Ferry, and sending James Longstreet's wing of the army toward Hagerstown. While orders sending Longstreet to Hagerstown would be altered, leaving that wing near Boonsboro, the Confederate forces were now significantly divided. Moreover, it was only the division of Daniel Harvey Hill which was guarding South Mountain, the crucial geographical barrier between Lee and McClellan.
On the 14th of September, George McClellan caught up with Lee, and a fierce day long fight ensued. The Union 1st, 9th, and 6th Corps attacked at three crucial mountain passes, pushing back Confederate forces after an exhausting day long fight.
South Mountain is a battle which defies many existing stereotypes of both George McClellan and Robert E. Lee. McClellan, either the cowardly lion or the scarecrow of Union Civil War generals (depending on which historian you read), caught the supposedly always aware Lee unware. It was not until the night before the fight that Confederate forces began to realize how close the Union army was and in how great a number they were advancing. This battle is fascinating for many reaons, but perhaps the greatest of those reasons is that it is a complete anomoly in the typical narrative concerning these two famous generals. McClellan achieved a victory with crushing force and commendable speed, while Lee was defeated in a battle for which he was not ready and was not prepared.
Most importantly, however, South Mountain was what in part led to the Battle of Antietam. As I tell visitors to Antietam, up until September 14, Lee was in the driver's seat for the Maryland Campaign. He could dictate where the fighting occured, as his army had the intitiative. However, once George McClellan surprised and defeated Lee, it was imperitive that, rather than continuing with offensive operations, the Confederate forces either retreat from Maryland or make a hasty defensive stand. Effectively, South Mountain removed offensive operations from the range of possible options for Lee's forces. Certainly, it precluded the possibility of Lee's army reaching Pennsylvania. Now, the orders which Lee had issued splitting his forces seemed as though they could be the fatal mistake for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Lee's army was still separated, and George McClellan was knocking on the door of victory. South Mountain fundamentally changed the nature of the Maryland Campaign.
On this evening 149 years ago, Robert E. Lee was being forced to reconsider his Maryland Campaign. If he didn't hear favorable news from Stonewal Jackson at Harper's Ferry soon, it might be time for retreat. What happened the next day influenced Lee's decision to move toward Antietam Creek...
Showing posts with label Battle of South Mountain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Battle of South Mountain. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Book Review: The Battle of South Mountain, by John Hoptak
Having just finished up grading finals, completing my last official duties as a Graduate Assistant at John Carroll University, I have now begun to turn my attention back to my primary area of interest, the Battle of Antietam. One book which was a must read for me before my upcoming return to Maryland is The Battle of South Mountain, by my fellow Antietam Ranger, and good friend, John Hoptak. John is a fine historian and a fine guy (don't let the fact that he is a Yankees fan distract you, he isn't that bad). He was one of the many wonderful people at Antietam who made me feel at home last summer, and I look forward to working with him again upon my return to Antietam in just a few days. John was very encouraging and helpful in my decision to start this blog. He runs his own blog dedicated to the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and other Civil War topics, which you can find here.
The Battle of South Mountain is a fast paced narrative of the crucial events that took place on South Mountain on September 14, 1862, just a few days prior to the climactic Battle of Antietam on the 17th. For years, scholars, historians, and Civil War travelers have overlooked South Mountain in favor of Antietam. Certainly, Antietam stands as not only one of the pivotol moments in the war, but one of the most important days in American history. However, without South Mountain, Antietam would not have occured as it did. Most likely, without a Union victory on South Mountain on September 14, there would have been no battle at all at Antietam, as Lee would not have turned and gathered his forces to fight there. Conversely, because Confederate forces slowed the Union advance on the 14th, Stonewall Jackson was given the crucial extra time he needed to capture Harper's Ferry, arriving in Sharpsburg just in time to supplement Lee's forces and to make a stand against McClellan on the 17th. While relatively small in scale when one considers the casualties, the strategic importance of the fight at South Mountain was immense in its effects on the Maryland Campaign of 1862.
It is this strategic importance which John brings to light in his recent work. While his battle narratives are excellent in their depth, detail, and lively writing, the common student of the war will benefit the most from John's insightful analysis of the strategy of the campaign. Whereas berating George McClellan as a cowardly slowpoke is the prevailing method in writing about this campaign, The Battle of South Mountain gives the Union commander his due. John convincingly suggests that McClellan's actions at South Mountain displayed a level of tactical aggression which sharply contrasts popular images of the commander. On this point alone, John's work immediately stands out and provides a refreshing new voice to the conversation. For far too long, historians have lambasted McClellan as an inept battlefield commander who was more concerned with his image than he was with defeating Lee. However, as The Battle of South Mountain persuasively notes, McClellan's plans for sending Major General William Franklin's force south through Crampton's Gap had the goal of relieving pressure on Harper's Ferry, adding Dixon Miles's 12,000 men to Franklin's force, then moving north through Pleasant Valley to cut off Lee, all in one day's time. Clearly, this was an audacious plan that if anything should be faulted for being overly ambitious. John's description of these movements around Crampton's Gap is but one example of his excellent grasp and refreshing take on the strategy of this important campaign. Any good battle history both narrates the events on the field and provides a sharp and incisive bird's eye view of the strategy, tactics, and meaning of the troop movements. In this regard, The Battle of South Mountain is an excellent narrative of one of the most overlooked days in the history of the Civil War.
As an added benefit, another one of my Antietam colleagues and good friends, Mannie Gentile, also helped out with this effort. Mannie, being an excellent artist, created detailed maps for various phases of the battle and the campaign. The maps are wonderfully drawn, and are pieces of art. Mannie also runs a blog about the experience of working as a Park Ranger at Antietam. You can find it here.
For those with an interest in Civil War history, I would highly recommend The Battle of South Mountain. It is a fine example of historical writing on one of the Civil War's most overlooked battles. John makes the complex story of a battle which stretched across several miles with many intricacies very accessible, and as a result, his work is one for both the novice and the expert alike. Last summer, I had the privilege of going on a tour of Crampton's Gap with John and a few good friends, and I can certainly say, John is as good as anyone at making a battlefield come to life and helping to teach others about the events of the past and their importance for us today.
Below is a promotional video for The Battle of South Mountain, produced by Mannie Gentile.
The Battle of South Mountain is a fast paced narrative of the crucial events that took place on South Mountain on September 14, 1862, just a few days prior to the climactic Battle of Antietam on the 17th. For years, scholars, historians, and Civil War travelers have overlooked South Mountain in favor of Antietam. Certainly, Antietam stands as not only one of the pivotol moments in the war, but one of the most important days in American history. However, without South Mountain, Antietam would not have occured as it did. Most likely, without a Union victory on South Mountain on September 14, there would have been no battle at all at Antietam, as Lee would not have turned and gathered his forces to fight there. Conversely, because Confederate forces slowed the Union advance on the 14th, Stonewall Jackson was given the crucial extra time he needed to capture Harper's Ferry, arriving in Sharpsburg just in time to supplement Lee's forces and to make a stand against McClellan on the 17th. While relatively small in scale when one considers the casualties, the strategic importance of the fight at South Mountain was immense in its effects on the Maryland Campaign of 1862.
It is this strategic importance which John brings to light in his recent work. While his battle narratives are excellent in their depth, detail, and lively writing, the common student of the war will benefit the most from John's insightful analysis of the strategy of the campaign. Whereas berating George McClellan as a cowardly slowpoke is the prevailing method in writing about this campaign, The Battle of South Mountain gives the Union commander his due. John convincingly suggests that McClellan's actions at South Mountain displayed a level of tactical aggression which sharply contrasts popular images of the commander. On this point alone, John's work immediately stands out and provides a refreshing new voice to the conversation. For far too long, historians have lambasted McClellan as an inept battlefield commander who was more concerned with his image than he was with defeating Lee. However, as The Battle of South Mountain persuasively notes, McClellan's plans for sending Major General William Franklin's force south through Crampton's Gap had the goal of relieving pressure on Harper's Ferry, adding Dixon Miles's 12,000 men to Franklin's force, then moving north through Pleasant Valley to cut off Lee, all in one day's time. Clearly, this was an audacious plan that if anything should be faulted for being overly ambitious. John's description of these movements around Crampton's Gap is but one example of his excellent grasp and refreshing take on the strategy of this important campaign. Any good battle history both narrates the events on the field and provides a sharp and incisive bird's eye view of the strategy, tactics, and meaning of the troop movements. In this regard, The Battle of South Mountain is an excellent narrative of one of the most overlooked days in the history of the Civil War.
As an added benefit, another one of my Antietam colleagues and good friends, Mannie Gentile, also helped out with this effort. Mannie, being an excellent artist, created detailed maps for various phases of the battle and the campaign. The maps are wonderfully drawn, and are pieces of art. Mannie also runs a blog about the experience of working as a Park Ranger at Antietam. You can find it here.
For those with an interest in Civil War history, I would highly recommend The Battle of South Mountain. It is a fine example of historical writing on one of the Civil War's most overlooked battles. John makes the complex story of a battle which stretched across several miles with many intricacies very accessible, and as a result, his work is one for both the novice and the expert alike. Last summer, I had the privilege of going on a tour of Crampton's Gap with John and a few good friends, and I can certainly say, John is as good as anyone at making a battlefield come to life and helping to teach others about the events of the past and their importance for us today.
Below is a promotional video for The Battle of South Mountain, produced by Mannie Gentile.
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