ANTIETAM THE BLOODIEST DAY IN MARYLAND 1861 Union & Confederate Military Strategy.

ANTIETAMTHE BLOODIEST

DAY IN MARYLAND 1861

Union & ConfederateMilitary Strategy

Map of US 1860-1863

Resources North v. South

UnionUnion ConfederacyConfederacy

Larger PopulationGreater industrial

capacityBetter

transportation ability (rail)

Defending “home”Interior lines of

supplyInterior lines of

communication

Military Advantages

UnionUnion ConfederacyConfederacy

Industry dominated the economy of the north

Urban cities Factories rapidly produced

products such as textiles and farm equipment

The majority of railroads existed in the north to transport the goods

Telegraph wires were strung along the railroads for easy communication

Factories gave jobs to thousands of immigrants that eventually gained the ability to vote-opposed slavery

Slave labor was in direct competition with free labor and threatened people’s paying jobs

Agriculture dominated the economy

Rural towns and plantations Relied on staple crops-

COTTON Raw goods transported by

river Few immigrants settled in

the south because of slave labor-those that did were anti-slavery

The south feared that if slavery ended then the south would be left in an extreme state of poverty

Economic Advantages

Disadvantages

Strategy in the South ". . . It is one thing to drive

the rebels from the south bank of the Potomac, or even to occupy Richmond, but another to reduce and hold in permanent subjection a tract of country nearly as large as Russia in Europe. . . No war of independence ever terminated unsuccessfully except where the disparity of force was far greater than it is in this case. . . Just as England during the revolution had to give up conquering the colonies so the North will have to give up conquering the South. . . .“

Military Analyst for the London Times.

Anaconda Plan

Civil War CasualtiesCivil War Casualtiesin Comparison to Other in Comparison to Other

WarsWars

Civil War CasualtiesCivil War Casualtiesin Comparison to Other in Comparison to Other

WarsWars

Hospital Tent during the Civil War

Clara BartonDorothea DixHarriet TubmanSojourner TruthAll served as

Civil War nurses.

Main strictureOlder than 30

and of plain dress.

Pay was 40 cents a day.

Battle of AntietamBattle of Antietam “Bloodiest Single Day of the “Bloodiest Single Day of the

War”War”

Battle of AntietamBattle of Antietam “Bloodiest Single Day of the “Bloodiest Single Day of the

War”War”

23,000 23,000 casualtiescasualties

23,000 23,000 casualtiescasualties

September 17, September 17, 18621862September 17, September 17, 18621862

Battle of Bull Run, prior to Antietam.

General George McClellan General Robert E. Lee

Gen. McClellan"He is an able general

but a very cautious one. His army is in a very demoralized and chaotic condition, and will not be prepared for offensive operations—or he will not think it so—for three or four weeks. Before that time I hope to be on the Susquehanna.“ Gen. Robert E. Lee

McClellan and his wife Mary Ellen Marcy

General McClellan Passing Through Frederick City, Maryland at the Head of the Army of the Potomac, September 12, 1862

by Edwin Forbes

“no more defensible than a well bottom.”Written by A Federal Soldier

South MountainWhat do you see in the picture showing the evidence of the battle?

InfantryThe basic Civil War tactic was to put a lot of men next to one another in a line and have them move and shoot together.

Muzzle-loading muskets could be fired a maximum of 3 times a minute.

For attackers, once under serious fire the rate of advance might be increased to a so-called "double-quick time" of 165 steps per minute (about 150 yards per minute)

ArtilleryCannon fire could break up an infantry attack or dissuade enemy infantry from attacking in the first place. Its mere presence could also reassure friendly infantry and so exert a moral effect that might be as important as its physical effect on the enemy.

At Antietam the Union cavalry suffered exactly 5 men killed and 23 wounded.

  Horses required about 26 pounds of feed and forage per day.

Phases of the Battle of Antietam

The Bloody Lane-Second PhaseOf the Battle of Antietam.

"Those in whose judgment I rely tell me that I fought the battle splendidly and that it was a masterpiece of art. ... I feel I have done all that can be asked in twice saving the country. ... I feel some little pride in having, with a beaten & demoralized army, defeated Lee so utterly. ... Well, one of these days history will I trust do me justice.“

General George McClellan

Was McClellen right? Tomorrow, you be the judge.

1.Be here by 6:45 near the auditorium entrance.2.Dress warmly, bring a bag lunch, bring drinks.3.Somebody bring a camera!