17 September 1862: Wednesday: Battle of Antietam

Union - Military/Government
Major General Ormsby M. Mitchel, US Army, assumes command of the Department of the South stationed along the southeast coast.

Union - Civilian
Pro-Unionists in the Tennessee mountains suffer a setback when Brigadier General George W. Morgan is forced to evacuate Cumberland Gap due to the Confederate invasion of Kentucky.

Military - Confederacy
Maryland
This September day along Antietam Creek was one of the bloodiest of the Civil War. Badly outnumbered, Lee made his stand in Maryland and McClellan attacked, throwing in his corps piecemeal and failing to use his very strong reserve.

At first the fight raged on the Confederate left against Jackson in the woods, the cornfield, the Bloody Lane, and the Dunkard Church. Union gains were small and costly.

The roar of battle moved south, with uncoordinated Northern attacks on the center. Then Burnside with the Union left finally drove in against the right at what became known as Burnside Bridge, crossed the antietam, and headed for the town.

At the critical moment A.P. Hill's "Light Division" arrived at Antietam after a hurried March from Harper's Ferry and the Union advance was halted.

Thus ended a savage day of five main Union drives with dreadful losses.

Union casualties:
2,010 killed, 9,416 wounded, 1,043 missing for a total of 12,469 out of over 75,000 estimated effectives.


Confederate casualties:
2,700 killed, 9,024 wounded, about 2,000 missing for a total of 13,724 casualties out of about 40,000 engaged.

Nightfall finds the Confederate army holding its position in the face of an overpowering enemy.

Kentucky
The Union garrison of slightly over 4,000 men under Colonel John T. Wilder at Munfordville, surrendered to Bragg's Confederates.

Also in Kentucky, there is skirmishing near Falmouth and on Bowling Green Road and at Merry Roads.

Florida
There is a skirmish at St. John's Bluff.

North Carolina
There is a skirmish around Shiloh.

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Bibliography
The Civil War Day By Day: An Almanac 1861-1865. E.B. Long with Barbara Long, De Capo, 1971