Antietam Battle Analysis - Essay Example

?Antietam Battle Analysis The battle of Antietam between the United s (Union) and the CSA (Confederacy) revolutionized the economic andpolitical scenarios of the Southern and Northern states. This battle was the end result of the economic and political difference in the Southern and Northern states in the mainland of America. Besides, the growth and development of democratic ideas forced the Northern States to fight against the Southern states which was under the influence of slavery, forced labor and slave trade. The battle of Antietam can be considered as a turning point in history of the struggle for freedom and individual liberty in America. Still, the victory of the Union forces under the direct leadership of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan proves the importance of military tactics, experience and single minded dedication in the battle field. On the other side, the Confederate forces failed to defeat the Union forces because they did not provide ample importance to military tactics and waited for reinforcement forces. In short, the battle of Antietam led the Americans, especially the African American slaves, towards freedom from slavery and forced labor. The Battle of Antietam occurred on 17 September 1862, in and the surrounding areas of Sharpsburg. The other areas include Maryland and Antietam Creek. The battle occurred between the Confederate forces (Confederate States Army) and Union forces (Union Army) in the American mainland. This battle is generally considered as a turning point in the American Civil War, which ignited the spirit of freedom among the slaves, especially the African Americans in America. The Confederate side was led by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army was under the direct control of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan. From a different angle of view, the Battle of Antietam was the end result of the financial disparity and the political disagreement between two opposing sides in America, i.e., the Northern and Southern states. Earlier, the Southern states’ economic backbone was based upon agriculture, which solely depended upon slavery. On the other side, the Northern States were totally against slavery and this eventually led to the Battle of Antietam. One can see that the Battle of Antietam is an important event in the American history because it eventually led America towards emancipation of slavery. Besides, the Battle of Antietam was a single-day battle but it resulted in high casualty. Both the opposing sides were forced to suffer heavy loss because thousands of deaths were reported. But the lack of planning related to warfare techniques hindered the Union Army from destroying the Southern Army. To be specific, Union forces possessed enough resources to destroy the Southern side. But lack of planning from the side of McClellan helped the Southern Army to have ample time to withdraw from the battlefield. Eventually, the Southern forces withdrew from Maryland to Virginia. On the other side, the Southern side’s decision to withdraw from Maryland helped Abraham Lincoln to announce and implement the decision to prohibit slavery and free the slaves in America. So, one can see that the Antietam Battle eventually led America to be a unified federation, which is against slavery and in favor of democratic ideas. Some of the resources used in this work include: Battle of Antietam: The Bloodiest Day by Ted Alexander, Grant and Lee: Victorious American and Vanquished Virginian by Edward H. Bonekemper, and Historical Atlas of the United States, with Original Maps by Derek Hayes. Review Strategic Setting: As pointed out, Antietam Battle ignited the spirit of democratic though and changed the general opinion on slavery and forced labor. The immediate cause of the battle is interconnected with the clash between the southern and Northern states in America on slavery, forced labor, and slave trade. Stephen W. Sears claims that “The realities of Antietam were brought home to the Northern citizenry more vividly than any previous battle” (Sears 2003, 20).1 The Confederate forces (Southern states) considered that emancipation of slavery will destroy the economic backbone of their society. So, they decided to fight against the decision of the Union forces (Northern states) to emancipate slavery and forced labor. On the other side, the Northern states gained nothing from slavery and those states were in favor of the decision to provide freedom to the slaves. So, the Confederate forces decided to extend their influence upon the areas under the control of Union forces. Within this context, the Confederate forces under the leadership of Robert E. Lee decided to attack the Union forces in Maryland. To be specific, the victory over the Union forces at the Second Battle of Bull Run (1862) encouraged the Confederate forces to attack the areas under the influence of the Union forces. The Confederate forces planned to conduct a surprise attack on Maryland and Kentucky. The leaders of the Confederate forces assumed that another victory on the Union forces will grab the attention of the mass suffering from economic disparity. To be specific, the Confederate forces aimed to have ultimate control over the Union forces because local and foreign support was important to gain political supremacy. The Confederate leaders were aware of the fact that an ultimate military victory over the Union forces will influence the people of America in general. On the other side, the Confederate forces expected financial support from the foreign nations like Britain and France. So, the leaders of the Confederate forces considered that military victory in the areas under the Union forces can help them to gain confidence and support from the foreign nations. In short, the immediate cause behind the battle of Antietam was deeply rooted in the economic and military aims envisioned by the Confederate leaders. Review of tactical situation: 1. Mission: The Confederate mission was to intimidate the Union forces by intruding into the areas under their direct influence and control. Primarily, the Confederates decided to make use of their victory at the Second Battle of Bull Run to encourage their soldiers to fight against the Union Army. James M. McPherson states that “This second battle of Bull Run was a defeat fully as humiliating as the first, with greater potential danger to the Union cause” (McPherson 2004, 83).2 So, the Confederates decided to conduct a two way attack on Maryland and Kentucky. On the other side, the Union Army under the leadership of McClellan decided to protect their territories by driving back the Confederate forces to the Southern states. One can see that the Union Army was trying to protect their land and this provided ample advantage to them in military tactics. 2. Equipment: Both the opposing sides made use of the military equipments (rifle, shell, canister etc) generally used in conventional warfare. One can see that military tactics is important in a conventional warfare. 3. Terrain: During the battle, the Confederate side under the leadership of Lee made use of the Antietam Creek as a safe place to hide and to conduct counter attack on the Union forces. Besides, Lee was aware of the fact that they can make use of the Potomac River as a crossing point. Both the opposing forces knew that the bridges over the branches of the Potomac River, and the areas around the Antietam can act an important role in the victory over the opposing side. 4. Troops: The Confederate side under the leadership of General Robert E. Lee was divided into two infantry groups. The first corps consisted of five divisions and an independent division. The second corps consisted of four units. The other corps included reserve artillery and cavalry corps. The Union Army, under the direct control of Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan consisted of six corps (infantry). This division includes: I corps, II corps IV corps, V corps, VI corps, IX corps and cavalry. 5. Time: The Confederate side made use of the available time to strengthen their position in the battlefield. On the other side, Union Army wasted so many opportunities to destroy the Confederate side. So, lack of planning hindered the Union Army from destroying the Confederate side. Antietam Battle: Morning, Midday and Afternoon Morning battle The battle of Antietam occurred during the early morning. Ted Alexander states that “By the morning of the battle (September 17), Lee had about twenty-five thousand men to face his opponent” (53).3 To be specific, the Union Army (Union I Corps), under the leadership of Joseph Hooker initiated the attack on the Confederate Army. This direct attack from the Union Army was followed by an artillery attack from the Confederate forces. Eventually, the return fire from the Union Army resulted in heavy casualty on Union and Confederate sides. Then, Joseph Hooker decided to conduct a direct artillery attack because the Confederate Army was in a defensive position in the Cornfield near the Antietam Creek. The reinforcement divisions of Confederate side under Harry Hays reached the battleground and the Union side was forced to retreat to East Woods. On the other side, the Union Army under the leadership of Joseph Hooker gained momentum in Dunker Church and advanced towards the Confederate side. Again, the Confederate side was forced to depend upon reinforcement force led by McLaws and Richard H. Anderson. But this changed the course of the morning battle and Joseph Hooker got injured. The final phase of the morning battle included the direct fight between Union and Confederate forces within the West Woods area. So, one can see that the morning phase of the battle resulted in high casualties on Union and Confederate forces. Midday battle The midday battle began with the Union Army’s attack by Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick on Confederate forces. Edward H. Bonekemper states that “From nine to noon, the fighting moved south of the cornfield to the Dunker (Dunkard) Church and the Sunken Road, known ever since as Bloody Lane” (73).4 To be specific, the Union forces gained momentum in the beginning of the midday battle. For instance, William H. French and Nathan Kimball attempted to attack the Confederate forces. But most of the recruits at the Union side were new and inexperienced. This reduced the scope of further progress from the side of Union Army. Still, both the sides tried to gain upper hand in the battle by deploying reserve forces as reinforcement. Later, the Irish Brigade under Thomas F. Meagher conducted a surprise attack on the Confederate forces. But this attack was less effective due to the ineffective military technique. The confederate side was forced to suffer great loss because some of their leaders were in trouble. For instance, the Confederate leaders like John B. Gordon got seriously wounded. The Confederate forces faced the problem of lack of co-ordination, but the Union Army failed to exploit the Confederate drawback. For instance, during the end of the midday battle, V Corps and VI Corps (under Gen. Porter and under Maj. Gen. Franklin) were ready to attack the Confederate forces. But Maj. Gen. Sumner ordered the Union forces not to advance further to the Confederate side and this helped the Confederate forces to be safe from total destruction. So, indecisive attitude from the side of the Union leadership helped the Confederate forces. Afternoon battle During the afternoon battle, most of the violent action occurred in and around the Antietam Creek. Both the opposing sides tried to grab control over Rohrbach's Bridge, which is helpful to gain upper hand in the battlefield. One can easily identify the fact that most of the events during the afternoon battle were based upon the attempt to gain control over the Rohrbach's Bridge. So, Col. Henry W. Kingsbury and his soldiers tried to grab the control over the Rohrbach's Bridge, but for no use. Later, Burnside and Cox attacked the opponent side, but this did not help them to gain control over the bridge. Finally, Brig. Gen. Edward Ferrero decided to conduct a direct attack and this forced the Confederate side to retreat. So, the Union Army was able to gain control over the Rohrbach's Bridge, which changed the course of the battle. Donald R. Jermann makes clear that “By the early afternoon, McClellan had all but won the battle, and he had two corps in reserve and the Confederates had none” (276).5 Besides, the battle came to an end at 5.30 in the evening. Technically, the Union Army became victorious, but in practical sense, both the opposing sides suffered large scale causality. The tactical and strategic significance of Antietam battle The tactical significance of the Antietam battle is that the Union (United States) side gained momentum and it encouraged the soldiers and the Northern States. Besides, the Union side gained upper hand in the protest against slavery, forced labor, and slave trade. On the other side, the Confederacy (CSA) lost the military upper hand over the Union side, which was gained during Second Battle of Bull Run (1862). The Southern States came to realize that it is difficult to withstand the consequences of the failure in the battle. On the other side, the most important strategic significance of the Antietam battle is that the same eventually led the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern states into a federation of states. This is important because the victory in the battle helped Abraham Lincoln to take an important decision in the history of the United States of America, i.e. the Emancipation proclamation. Frederick Tilberg opines that “For some months before the Battle of Antietam, as his letter to Greenley indicates, Lincoln had been wrestling with the problem of slavery and its connection with the war” (57).6 Earlier, the Confederacy side considered that ultimate victory over the Union can attract the attention of the foreign nations. When the Union side became victorious, the Confederacy dream became futile. So, the tactical significance of the Antietam battle is that the same reduced the military supremacy of the Confederacy side and the long term significance is that it eventually led the Southern and Northern states into a federation of states. Analysis of Action/Lessons learned: The victory of the Union forces under the leadership of George B. McClellan is deeply indebted to the spirit of freedom and liberty ignited by Abraham Lincoln. Besides, the Northern States were not in favor of slavery and related problems. The soldiers under the leadership of George B. McClellan were aware of the critical condition faced by their motherland. In addition, George B. McClellan conducted a surprise attack on the Confederate forces. This initiative helped the Union soldiers to forget their failure in the Second Battle of Bull Run (1862). At the same time, the people in the Northern States supported the Union forces. So, one can easily identify that local support and deep knowledge in geographic condition of the battle field is an important factor which influences the end result of a battle. The Union side included above 75,000 soldiers. This is important in a traditional warfare or direct combat. On the other side, the strength of the Confederate side consisted of below 40,000 soldiers. Most of these soldiers were new recruits and were not aware of traditional military tactics. The Confederate side did not provide ample importance to local support. They considered that victory in the battle will force the Northern states to be under the influence of the Southern States. At the same time, the Confederate leaders considered that foreign powers interested in trade and commerce will help them to defeat the Northern States. One can see that the foreign powers were in favor of trade and commerce, not in favor of war and related issues. The ultimate aim of the Confederate side was to establish their supremacy among the different states in America. So, the key methods contributed to the victory of the Union side are: innovative military tactics, leadership quality of George B. McClellan, courage, single minded dedication, and military supremacy. But Derek Hayes states that “Antietam claimed an astonishing 21,000 casualties, nearly 12,000 of which were on the Union side” (186).7 On the other side, the defeat of the Confederate side was due to poor military tactics, ineffective leadership of Robert E. Lee, lack of experienced soldiers, lack of local support, and overconfidence related to the victory in the Second Battle of Bull Run. Still, the Antietam Battle is so important within the history of American independence because the same eventually led the African Americans to enjoy the benefits of freedom and individual liberty. So, internal aggression based upon selfish motives and the urge to save one’s motherland from aggression leads to different end results. The Union victory over the Confederate side is one of the best examples for the success of single minded dedication. Bibliography Alexander, Ted. Battle of Antietam: The Bloodiest Day. Charleston: The History Press, 2011. Bonekemper, Edward H. Grant and Lee: Victorious American and Vanquished Virginian. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008. Hayes, Derek. Historical Atlas of the United States, with Original Maps. Canada: Douglas & McIntyre, 2006. Jermann, Donald R. Antietam: The Lost Order. Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, 2006. McPherson, James M. Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Sears, Stephen W. Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003. Tilberg, Frederick. Antietam: A History of the National Battlefield Site. Washington: Wildside Press LLC, 2009. Read More