In early September 1862 thousands of Union soldiers huddled within the defenses of Washington, disorganized and discouraged from their recent defeat at Second Manassas. Confederate General Robert E. Lee then led his tough and confident Army of Northern Virginia into Maryland in a bold gamble to force a showdown that could win Southern independence. The future of the Union hung in the balance. The campaign that followed lasted only two weeks, but it changed the course of the Civil War.
D. Scott Hartwig delivers a riveting first installment of a two-volume study of the campaign and climactic battle. It takes the reader from the controversial return of George B. McClellan as commander of the Army of the Potomac through the Confederate invasion, the siege and capture of Harpers Ferry, the daylong Battle of South Mountain, and, ultimately, to the eve of the great and terrible Battle of Antietam.
List of Illustrations Introduction 1. The Return of McClellan ""General, I am in command again"" 2. The Army of Northern Virginia ""Who could not conquer with troops such as these"" 3. The Army of Northern Virginia Enters Maryland ""Our movements will be rapid"" 4. The Army of the Potomac ""If we fail now the North has no hope"" 5. The Army of the Potomac Advances to Frederick ""You may be sure that I will follow them as closely as I can"" 5. Harpers Ferry ""To the last extremity"" 7. The Battle for Mary land Heights ""For God's sake, don't fall back"" 8. September 13 ""My general idea is to cut the enemy in two"" 9. The Morning Battle for Fox's Gap ""My God! Be careful!"" 10. Afternoon at Fox's Gap ""So little did we know of the etiquette of war"" 11. The First Corps Attacks ""It looked like a task to storm"" 12. The Battle for Hill 1280 ""Some of you will get hurt"" 13. Into Turner's Gap ""An ugly looking place to attack"" 14. Crampton's Gap ""The best fighting that has been done in this war"" 15. Retreat from South Mountain ""God has seldom given an army a greater victory than this"" 16. The Trap Closes and a Cavalry Dash ""The fate of Harper's Ferry was sealed"" 17. The Fall of Harpers Ferry ""Through God's blessing, Harper's Ferry and its garrison are to be surrendered"" 18. September 16 ""We are entirely too methodical"" 19. Eve of Battle ""I shall not, however, soon forget that night"" Acknowledgments Appendixes a. Opposing Forces in the Mary and Campaign b. Strength of Union and Confederate Forces c. Union and Confederate Casualties List of Abbreviations Notes Essay on Sources Index
""To Antietam Creek makes a very substantial contribution to the scholarship on the Maryland Campaign. It is thoroughly researched and taps previously unused sources. As the most comprehensive work available on the campaign leading up to Antietam, it will inform both historians and casual readers; its gripping narrative forcefully conveys some [of] the excitement that participants in the campaign must have felt. We should look forward to D. Scott Hartwig's concluding volume on the Battle of Antietam itself.""
