Book Description

The Battle of Antietam was a crucial turning point in the American Civil War. This staff ride guide examines the Maryland Campaign and Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American history. On 17 September 1862, the Army of the Potomac met the Army of Northern Virginia on the rolling farmlands around Sharpsburg, Maryland. While General Lee sought to bring the war to the North and "liberate" Maryland, General McClellan, having gained important intelligence, would endeavor to defeat Lee and reverse the momentum of several Union losses. Ted Ballard has once again crafted a definitive battle guide drawing on the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion. Though neither the Union nor the Confederate side gained the decisive victory both desired, the battle provides many lessons in command and control, communications, intelligence, technology versus tactics, and the "fog of war." Foreword The U.S. Army has long used the staff ride as a tool for professional development, conveying the lessons of the past to contemporary soldiers. In 1906 Maj. Eben Swift took twelve officer students from Fort Leavenworth's General Service and Staff School to the Chickamauga battlefield on the Army's first official staff ride. Since that time Army educators have employed the staff ride to provide Army officers with a better understanding of a past military operation, of the vagaries of war, and of military planning. It can also serve to enliven a unit's esprit de corps--a constant objective in peacetime or war. To support the Army's initiatives, the Center is publishing staff ride guides such as this one on the Battle of Antietam. This account is drawn principally from contemporary and after-action reports, as well as from reminiscences of participants, both officers and enlisted men. The Battle of Antietam provides important lessons in command and control, leadership, and unit training. This small volume should be a welcome training aid for those undertaking an Antietam staff ride and valuable reading for those interested in the Civil War and in the history of the military art.