Pictorial history of the war for the Union, volume 2 (of 2) : $b A complete and reliable history of the war from its commencement to its close ... together with a complete chronological analysis of the warStephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
History
Pictorial history of the war for the Union, volume 2 (of 2) : $b A complete and reliable history of the war from its commencement to its close ... together with a complete chronological analysis of the war
Stephens, Ann S. (Ann Sophia)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
On both sides the casualties among officers in the battle of Antietam
was unusually numerous. Among the rebel killed were Brigadier-Generals
Starke and Branche, and among their wounded were Major-General Anderson,
Brigadier-Generals Anderson, Lawton, Wright, Ripley, Amistead and
Ransome.
The Union army was called upon to mourn the loss, among many other
valuable officers, of Brigadier-General Isaac P. Rodman, of Rhode
Island. He had left the quiet pursuits of business, and volunteered in
defence of the Government. He entered the service in one of the
regiments of his native State as Captain, and was quickly promoted to a
Colonelcy, and led his regiment in General Burnside’s North Carolina
expedition. He was made a Brigadier for services at Roanoke and Newbern,
and was mortally wounded while acting as division commander at Antietam.
The loss of the Federal army in this terrible battle bears ample
testimony to its courage and endurance. From the official records the
total loss in killed was two thousand and ten; missing, one thousand and
forty-three; total, twelve thousand and sixty-nine. The combined loss at
South Mountain, Antietam and Harper’s Ferry, was twenty-six thousand
three hundred and ninety-four.
The report of General McClellan estimates the rebel loss in Maryland at
thirty thousand men.
General Burnside, whose corps was stationed on the left of the Federal
lines, testified before the investigating committee of Congress, that at
half-past eight o’clock in the evening of the 17th, he went over to
McClellan’s headquarters, and urged the renewal of the attack, saying
that with five thousand fresh troops to place beside his own, he was
willing to commence the attack in the morning. As his corps had
maintained the most critical position during the battle, and had
defended the salient points with remarkable bravery and endurance, while
suffering heavy loss, it may not be amiss to record his testimony in
this place.
General Franklin, whose corps occupied a position on the right of the
Federal lines, also gave testimony before the Commission in the
following terms:
“When General McClellan visited the right in the afternoon, I showed him
a position on the right of this wood, which I have already mentioned, in
which was the Dunker church, which I thought commanded the wood; and
that if it could be taken, we could drive the enemy from the wood, by
merely holding this point. I advised that we should make the attack on
that place the next morning from General Sumner’s position. I thought
there was no doubt about our being able to carry it. We had plenty of
artillery bearing upon it. We drove the enemy from there that afternoon,
and I had no doubt we could take the place the next morning, and I
thought that would uncover the whole left of the enemy.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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