Antietam Institute

We asked one of our sponsored student attendees, Garrett Hale to write a review of the Fall Conference and share their experiences and insights of the weekend event.

September 27: First day of the conference

The first day’s programs were very intriguing and established the conference’s focus around the southern end of the battlefield. John Banks, Civil War author, began the afternoon discussing specific accounts of Connecticut soldiers during the battle of Antietam. As someone who was not familiar with John Bank’s work, I thought his talk provided an excellent introduction to these soldier’s lives and whether or not they survived the battle. John focused on a wide range of soldiers in the unit rather than a smaller, select group of individuals. I found John’s work fascinating and I had a wonderful opportunity to speak with him afterward as the conference ended for the night.

The next talk was headed by Lucas Cade, a certified battlefield guide, who recounted D.R. Jones’ desperate gamble to stave off the advancing Federal columns of the Union 9th Corps as Burnside committed his force to the famed Final Attack. Cade demonstrated how the Confederate force under Jones, though heavily outnumbered, was so successful in slowing the Union advance due to his reliance on the terrain he occupied. Cade really stressed how, until A.P. Hill’s arrival, Jones’ division was the backbone of the Confederate infantry presence in the South end of the field. With only one division to defend the vulnerable artillery, his emphasis falls primarily on how Jones’ held the line long enough for A.P. Hill’s division from Harpers Ferry to arrive. Cade acknowledges how the landscape of the south end allowed Jones’ soldiers to make a series of defenses, drawing the advancing 9th Corps infantry into the gun sights of the Confederate cannoneers repeatedly, holding them under fire for as long as possible before withdrawing further and further toward the relative safety of Harper’s Ferry road.

Cade’s talk was excellent and really changed the way I thought about the final attack. Furthermore, it provided an excellent introduction to the next talk. Jim Rosebrock, author of  Artillery at Antietam, gave an excellent talk on a rather dividing question as to what really allowed the Confederates to hold their battle line at the end of the day on the 17th. Was it the arrival of A.P. Hill’s division from Harper’s Ferry? Or was it the tactical sense of the Confederate artillery officers and their quick reallocation of guns from around the battlefield that allowed them to repulse the 9th Corps’ Final Attack? Jim’s argument primarily focused on the latter, noting the marginal difference in the amount of artillery fielded by the Federals when compared to their Confederate adversaries. Initially starting out with around twenty pieces of field artillery between the Lower Bridge and Harper’s Ferry Road, the Confederates reallocate artillery from across their battle line and by the day’s end, 64 cannons have been moved to the South end of the field. Though the arrival of A.P. Hill’s brigades of fresh infantry from Harper’s Ferry proved to be the final straw that broke the momentum of the 9th Corps’ Final Attack, Jim Rosebrock effectively stressed that the Confederate artillery was likely what bought the time that allowed Hill’s men to reach the Sharpsburg Battleground.

The final talk of the night was delivered by Park Ranger Brian Baracz on the Burnside Bridge in memory. His presentations were full of photographs ranging from just days after the battle’s end to the present day. He greatly attributed the bridge as being one of the most signature landmarks of any Civil War Battlefield. Over the course of Brian’s presentation, we saw the bridge and surrounding area evolve from being a simple stone bridge over the Antietam creek, to the site of one the Civil War’s most harrowing attacks, and then to a site for reunion of the veterans who had fought there on September 17th, 1862. These veterans continued to fight, only now it was to preserve this landmark that was so important to them. Brian’s talk covered the acquisition of the surrounding areas, nearly 125 acres of land which was all kick started by those initial efforts of Civil War veterans to preserve and monument these places where they fought. This encompassed the demolition of post war structures, the return of agricultural plots to their initial states for crop cultivation, pasture, and tree lines replanted to their original 1862 look. It witnessed the transition of transportation from horse and buggy to the automobile. It was along the staff ride routes of several future military leaders. It was where President John F. Kennedy brought his family and walked the bridge with then park historian Robert Loggman. The bridge became this larger than life icon of the overall battle of Antietam, a tangible piece of an event we in the present are further and further removed from.

September 28: Second day of the conference

The 2nd day of the conference was devoted to actually getting out on the battlefield to see many of the locations discussed the previous afternoon and evening. The conference goers were split into two separate groups and embarked on hikes with certified battlefield guides, Jim Smith and Kevin Pawlak. In the morning, I set out with Jim Smith, whose hike followed in the footsteps of Orlando Wilcox who led the 9th Corps’ First Division after they crossed the Antietam creek. Jim took us to the Otto and Sherrick farms, we walked toward the town of Sharpsburg along Burnside Bridge road and we were even granted the unique opportunity to stop at the Old Stone Mill, which is privately owned today. What was once a simple stone mill became a Confederate fortress as soldiers occupied the buildings and fired into the advancing ranks of Wilcox’s men as the First Division made their push toward town. The story was riveting, it was just an incredible instance of where soldiers made use of firing from a structure, a tactic not seen often in these large scale Civil War battles.

Our time with Jim concluded as he took us to the Avey Farm, an area recently acquired by the American Battlefield Trust through the generosity of its donors. The Avey Farm is essentially a marker of the furthest into town the men of Wilcox’s division achieved. Jim is an excellent public speaker and is incredibly successful in weaving tactical details of soldiers movements and organization with the more delicate personal narratives. Jim made it so we were not simply just looking at a map, pointing out battle lines, and going out hiking on the battlefield. He immersed us in what these soldiers thought and did, who they were, in addition to the role they played as formal military units. I think Jim’s hike catered to both those who love the strategy and tactics of the Civil War and those who love the personal accounts and narratives. He was incredibly effective at painting the picture of who these men really were.

After a wonderful lunch at the Antietam Creek Vineyard, our group met with renowned Civil War scholar and author Kevin Pawlak, who would lead us through the difficult path established by the soldiers of the 9th Corps’ Third Division as they pushed through Confederate resistance on their way to Harper’s Ferry Road. Kevin’s hike made me look at the landscape of this area of the field in an entirely new light. I have driven the tour route maybe a hundred times at this point, and I have walked the Final Attack trail several times on top of that. Though I noticed a sizable incline (especially during that final slog toward the road itself) I had never fully grasped that it was actually a series of small rolling hills rather than a single steady incline. As the Union made their advance toward the South end of town, they were constantly going up and down as if climbing a set of natural steps. They would march up the incline, upon reaching the summit they came under direct fire of the Confederate artillery positioned on the next step further to them. As they make their descent into the small declines between the steps, they encounter the remaining Confederate resistance of D.R. Jones’ Division and are forced to withstand intense small arms fire. By the time they reached the next step, they’d find the Confederate artillery had withdrawn to the next step further off, and the bitter cycle continued. Rodman’s men are forced into intense engagements over and over as the day progressed.

By the day’s end, Rodman’s division had been put through the ringer, yet the resolve of these men never wavered as they continued to push on. Though battered, these men would not back down until fresh Confederate reinforcements arrived, finally depleting the momentum the 9th Corps had fought so valiantly to gain. Kevin’s interpretation of the “steps” leading to Harper’s Ferry Road was so brilliant I find myself sharing his lessons with all those I take to the park. I can recall by the end of the day, everyone in my group was feeling the fatigue of that difficult climb, and we were the lucky ones! We took breaks, had fresh cool water, and were wearing blends of cotton and polyester. The men of the Third Division knew no such comforts when they made that climb. Under the unending cannonade and musketry, clad in wool as their water supplies quickly waned, these men fought and died to gain foothold after foothold in a constant push toward the town. Kevin obviously incorporated plenty of historical fact (and the occasional witty joke) to keep us entertained and educated, but his greatest strength was his use of the landscape to really demonstrate what made this engagement so difficult for the men whose path we were retracing.

The day capped off with an incredible talk delivered by Dr. James Broomall, who I had had the pleasure of meeting earlier that day as we ended up in the same tour group. Dr. Broomall’s talk focused on the exploits of the 9th New York Volunteer Infantry or “Hawkins’ Zouaves” after they crossed Snavely’s Ford in the early afternoon. The 9th New York was an integral part of the Third Division’s attack along Harper’s Ferry Road, and with so much of what Kevin had taught me still so fresh in my mind, I was very tuned in to what he had to say. We were now following just one single unit, as they traversed the same difficult ground we all had crossed over just hours prior. Dr. Broomall’s communication skills shined here, as he illustrated the harrowing and ghastly nature of the fight the Zouaves found themselves in. He maintained this theme of slaughter throughout, this hard-fought breakthrough that resulted in hundreds killed or maimed, and how it is perceived in memory. Through post war art and military decorations, the actions of these men are cemented in the stuff of legends. However, such an incredible breakthrough at a cost of this magnitude did not seem to drastically change the outcome of the battle as the men were reluctantly ordered to halt their advance just shy of the town itself. Dr. Broomall recounted that these specific accomplishments branch off into two separate categories. In the desire to honor these actions, admire the heroism and resolve in the face of great adversity, we are left feeling uplifted and that is the legacy of its memory. However, we must also admit to ourselves that this costly breakthrough, as recalled by survivors of the regiment had elicited “no perceptible result” and in the grand scheme of things did not drastically alter the outcome of battle. This grim reality goes hand in hand with those uplifting details Dr. Broomall had covered throughout his talk. I think Dr. Broomall focused on an excellent example of this phenomenon which can be applied to countless military feats throughout all wars.

September 29: 3rd day of conference

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the last day of the conference. However, I had heard excellent things as the group got to explore Snavely’s Ford and the Confederate artillery positions along the Harpers Ferry Road. Though visible from the park’s trail, the original ford is now on private property. However, the property owner granted the Institute permission to visit the ford itself as well as several key Confederate artillery positions.

Garrett Hale grew up about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Gettysburg College where he earned my Bachelor’s Degree in History. Garrett work as an Education and Visitor Services Intern at Antietam National Battlefield through the Appalachian Conservation Corps. His long term goal is to be a Park Ranger at any National Historic Site. Garrett interests include interviewing Cold War and Vietnam veterans, and collecting Military Antiques.

We want to thank Garrett for being able to attend the event and providing his review of the weekend. If you missed out on the Fall Conference, you can view some of the programs on our YouTube Channel.

https://www.youtube.com/@antietaminstitute9253