Antietam, South Mountain, and Harpers Ferry

Ethan S. Rafuse is an associate professor of military history at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He is the author of several books, including McClellan's War: The Failure of Moderation in the Struggle for the Union, and is the coeditor of The Ongoing Civil War: New Versions of Old Stories.

""Excellent guides at a reasonable price, written by experts on the battle.""—James Durney, Suncoast Civil War Society Newsletter|""A necessary addition to any Antietam library.""—James Durney, TOCWOC, A Civil War Blog|""I've often expressed my admiration for Nebraska's This Hallowed Ground series of Civil War battlefield guides, and this latest volume by Ethan Rafuse continues the series's tradition of consistent quality in information and presentation. . . . I would recommend this volume as the best general use touring guide for this campaign.""—Andrew Wagenhoffer, Civil War Books and Authors blog|""Rafuse provides a helpful guidebook dedicated to this single campaign arena. Employing the latest research, he guides the visitor (in person or by armchair) through all the various stops associated with the fighting at South Mountain, Harpers Ferry, and Antietam.""—M. J. Smith Jr., Choice|""Antietam, South Mountain, and Harpers Ferry: A Battlefield Guide is a worthy continuation of the University of Nebraska Press series. . . . Meticulous maps as well as detailed sources and recommendations for further reading add to the experience of reading this volume.""—Timothy B. Smith, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |“A refreshing and original study of America’s bloodiest day that is free of the clichés found in some previous works on this subject. Using original sources and consulting the latest scholarship on Antietam, Rafuse has written a superb battle and campaign study.”—Ted Alexander, chief historian of Antietam National Battlefield

• Acknowledgements Introduction How to Use This Guide Antietam The Road to Antietam Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center Stop 1 Battlefield Vista 1a Lee Arrives, September 15, 1862 1b Lee Deploys and Plans, September 16, 1862 1c Lee's Battle Plan, September 17, 1862 Stop 2 Pry House 2a The Federals Arrive, September 15, 1862 2b McClellan Deploys His Command, September 16, 1862 2c McClellan Plans and Manages the Battle, September 17, 1862 Overview of Hooker's Fight, 5:309:00 a.m. Stop 3 North Woods 3a Hooker Moves into Position, September 1617, 1862 3b The I Corps Attacks, 5:006:00 a.m. Stop 4 East Woods 4a Twilight Skirmish, September 16, 1862, 4:307:00 p.m. 4b Ricketts's Battle, September 17, 1862, 5:007:00 a.m. Stop 5 The Hagerstown Pike 5a Doubleday's Attack, 6:006:30 a.m. 5b Into the Cornfield, 6:007:00 a.m. Stop 6 The Cornfield 6a Hood's Counterattack, 6:457:15 a.m. 6b Hood's Repulse, 7:157:45 a.m. 6c Hill Arrives, 7:458:30 a.m. 6d Greene's Advance, 8:159:00 a.m. Overview of Sumner's Fight, 9:00 a.m.2:00 p.m. Stop 7 West Woods 7a Sumner Arrives, 7:009:00 a.m. 7b Into the West Woods, 9:009:30 a.m. 7c McLaws Arrives, 8:009:30 a.m. 7d "We must get out of this," 9:0010:00 a.m. 7e Gordon's Charge, 9:4510:15 a.m. Stop 8 Dunker Church 8a Greene Seizes the West Woods, 9:00 a.m.12:45 p.m. 8b Franklin's Battle, 1:003:00 p.m. Stop 9 Bloody Lane 9a French Arrives, 7:309:30 a.m. 9b French's Attack, 9:3011:00 a.m. 9c The Union Breakthrough, 11:00 a.m.1:30 p.m. Overview of Burnside's Fight, 10:00 a.m.6:00 p.m. Stop 10 Burnside Bridge 10a "A Difficult Task," 9:0011:15 a.m. 10b The Federal Success, 11:15 a.m.1:30 p.m. Stop 11 The IX Corps Attacks 11a The Federals Deploy, 1:003:00 p.m. 11b Christ's and Welsh's Advance, 3:154:30 p.m. 11c Rodman's Attack, 3:154:30 p.m. Stop 12 Otto Cornfield 12a A. P. Hill Arrives, 3:004:15 p.m. 12b The 16th Connecticut, 3:454:30 p.m. 12c The Federals Hold the Bridge, 4:306:00 p.m. Stop 13 Lee's Headquarters 13a Lee's Council of War, September 17, 1862 13b The Day After, September 18, 1862 Stop 14 National Cemetery 14a Lee Retreats, September 1821, 1862 14b Antietam National Cemetery Optional Excursion 1 Bloody Lane Stop A Hill's Defense, 9:30 a.m. Stop B Weber's and Morris's Attacks, 9:3010:00 a.m. Stop C Kimball's Attack, 10:0010:15 a.m. Stop D Anderson and Richardson Arrive, 10:0011:15 a.m. Stop E The Irish Brigade Attacks, 11:1511:45 a.m. Stop F The Sunken Road Is Captured, 11:45 a.m.12:15 p.m. Stop G The Union Attack Stalls, 12:152:00 p.m. Optional Excursion 2 Burnside Bridge Stop A Toombs's Position, 7:3010:00 a.m. Stop B The First Federal Assault, 10:0010:30 a.m. Stop C Nagle's Attack, 10:4511:15 a.m. Stop D The Federals Capture the Bridge, noon1:00 p.m. Stop E The Union Bridgehead, 1:003:00 p.m. Stop F Rodman's March and Crossing, 10:30 a.m.1:15 p.m. Stop G The Federal Pause, 1:003:00 p.m. Optional Excursion 3 Boteler's Ford Stop A Recrossing the Potomac, September 1819, 1862 Stop B The Battle of Shepherdstown, September 1920, 1862 South Mountain Overview of the Battle of South Mountain, September 14, 1862 Stop 1 Fox's Gap 1a Cox's Attack, 5:00 a.m.noon 1b Union Victory, noon10:00 p.m. Stop 2 Mt. Tabor Cemetery 2a Meade's Assault and Rodes's Defense, 4:306:00 p.m. 2b Hatch's Assault, 4:3010:00 p.m. Stop 3 Mountain House 3a Gibbon's Attack, 5:009:00 p.m. Stop 4 Burkittsville 4a Franklin's Assignment, 5:00 a.m.noon 4b The Federal Attack, noon5:45 p.m. Stop 5 Gathland State Park 5a Cobb's Defense, 5:456:00 p.m. 5b Last Stand at Crampton's Gap, 6:007:00 p.m. 5c Franklin Moves into Pleasant Valley, September 15, 1862 Harpers Ferry Overview of the Siege of Harpers Ferry, September 1315, 1862 Harpers Ferry National Historic Park Visitor Center Stop 1 Harpers Ferry 1a Strategic Point and Deathtrap 1b The Confederates Converge on Harpers Ferry, September 1013, 1862 1c The Hapless Defenders, September 1013, 1862 Stop 2 Bolivar Heights 2a The Noose Is Closed, September 13, 1862 2b Confederate Bombardment, September 1415, 1862 2c Harpers Ferry Falls, September 1415, 1862 After Antietam Appendix A Orders of Battle Appendix B Organization, Weapons, and Tactics Sources For Further Reading