Antietam Battle, Sharpsburg, Maryland | 1862 | McClellan & Lee | Cornfield, Sunken Road with Maps 

My great great grandpa survived this battle. That's why I am here. He was on the union side. Thank you for this documentary.

Ive looked out over the Corn Field, Ive walked the Bloody Lane and Ive stood on Burnsides Bridge, never have I felt the feeling of hallowed ground so strongly. No matter which side you stood, the sacrifices on this soil were heavy. You can almost feel it press down on you. Its unlike any other battlefield ive been too.

Its a strange feeling to walk the site of a major battlefield. The ground stained with so many souls its like being torn apart by the beyond, by people who must cry yet have no tears of their own. Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Somme, Verdun, Normandy, Gettysburg, and Antietam. All these places I have stood but have yet to quench the tears of the fallen.

The details you put into your videos is absolute top notch viewing… as a Brit I find the American Civil War fascinating… the amount of British sounding surnames of the Corp commanders on both sets of combatants is truly incredible… superb video…👏👏🇺🇸🇬🇧👍

I grew up in this area and visited the battlefield hundreds of times if not thousands. Quite the experience and I recommend watching the videos available at the visitors center.

long live the memory of all good and brave men that stood up to the masses of stooges throughout history and yet in the future

I've fought this battle on various video game simulators a thousand times, both with the units in their historically accurate positions and arriving on the field at the time they actually did, and with randomized scenarios, in which more or less units are available, or available at different times/places, etc. No matter what the variant, it always comes down to the same thing: if the Union forces can make use of their full strength, and manage some modicum of coordination so that the attacks left, right, and center are mutually supportive, or at the very least timed in such a way that they prevent the Confederates from shifting men around to reinforce threatened areas, they--the Union--can sweep the Confederates off the field. The Union attacks can even be poorly coordinated so that don't achieve immediate breakthroughs. As long as they keep pressure on the Confederate units to their immediate front and prevent them from being shifted or redeployed, the attacking Union troops will eventually hit some part of the Confederate line with too few defenders, and the entire Confederate army's position can be compromised. And if this happens early enough in the battle, with sufficient daylight and fresh troops available to exploit the breach, it can be catastrophic for the Confederate army. It's just a matter of arithmetic, geographyl: the Confederate army isn't big enough to stop the Union army on the given battlefield. I realize that video games are literally a in different universe from an actual battle, and it doesn't take much nerve to issue "orders" with no greater consequences than changing pixels on a screen; and I realize that one should be very careful about extrapolating answers to historical "what if?" questions based upon them. Never the less, seeing the same scenario unfold time and time again in the video games really drove home what a huge gamble Lee took by inviting that battle, and--despite the feelings at the time--what a huge failure it was for McClellan. Big, war-ending, one-shot battles are pretty much solely the province of video games, but at the very least, McClellan's lack of resolve and "hands off" approach to managing his army in combat probably got thousands of his soldiers unnecessarily killed. And one can't help imagining what a "grab em by the nose and kick em in the ass"-type general in the vein of Grant or Sheridan might have accomplished that day. But I can sympathize with McClellan: Pope was that kind of general.

Really well done. I recommend this video to anyone going to visit the battlefield in order to get your bearings.

Very good, sir. A good old fashioned old school documentary type video 👍😎. Beats the hell out of anything on tv these days!

Excellent presentation. I have visited the battlefield, and all three sections can be seen in a well planned day. Lee's army was really in peril but maneuvered brilliantly to survive. Hill's arrival late in the day is one of the most dramatic moments of the war. Beautiful farmland, now so bucolic.

Excellent graphics. Excellent narration. My 9y0 son loves your videos but likes this one in particular. We toured the Antietam Battlefield when he was 7. He was obsessed with Burnsides Bridge and the 11th Connecticut (Connecticut is our home). We've watched this video before bedtime a number of evenings. Thanks , I'm sure a lot of effort goes into these videos.

I am currently reading Shelby Foote's Civil War and am at this part. Wonderfully done. Thank You

Worth a visit. You see the church, cornfield, sunken road and Burnside Bridge. Amazing battlefield.

This is probably the best presented, most understandable battle review i have ever seen. Using the satellite view for this is genius.

Just visited the battlefield in May. Thank you, this puts the visit in perspective. Very well done.

Anyone who’s interested in military history should try their best to visit the Antietam battlefield because it is absolutely unbelievable. The view from Burnsides bridge and bloody lane are absolutely insane. There are so many sheer cliffs and Hills that I can’t believe they actually fought on the ground. It’s almost impassable by foot.

Great work. These of some of the best Civil War battle commentaries around.

Excellent use of maps and graphics to detail the battle. Well done. Thank you!

Amazingly well put together vid. Subscribed after wartching this. I look forward to watching your other videos and hope you continue to put out more.

Very well done. Great detail in artwork and information. Use of the topographical view is very helpful in visualizing the events that took place. Keep them coming!

You are going to blow up Jeffrey. Your time had come! Keep em coming ❤️

Just a fantastic description. I've read on this battle in the past but this was so good.

Great job. Really enjoyed that.

Very interesting perspective, great vid

Excellent video. Love how you visualize and explain the movements with an aerial view.

Great vid Jeffrey...honest and unbiased. brought this critical battle home for me

I just got back home from a visit to the Antietam/Sharpsburg National Battlefield. I watched this video on my tablet in the middle of the cornfield on the walking trail. Love your work, it really was like having my own personal historian with me. Keep them coming! Thank you!

Loved the video! I subscribed and gonna watch more from you. Always a treat to find a well done history channel.

Very well done especially the movements graphics Thank you

Great to have a channel where the speak is not drowned by music!

Brilliant. As in the Gettysburg series; first time I have actually been able to follow the development of the battle. Bravo.

Great job please make more thank you for the time u put into these they are amazing

This is, by far, the best break down of the battle that I have ever seen. Got a new sub.

Excellent! This was very well done. Glad I came across your channel.

Again, well done!

Well done. Thanks.

This channel is one of the best civil war history channels on YT. Thanks for all your efforts on this.

Easily one of the best battle explanations i have ever seen. Sub'd.

Excellent video!!

One man down every two seconds for three hours at the Sunken Road is the kind of information needed to understand the scope of the Bloodiest Day in US history. I've heard that said many times, yet brutal after-action casualty records don't quite explain the carnage appropriately.

My great great grandfather and great great uncle fought at antietam in brooks brigade 53rd Pennsylvania inf. around the sunken road

Nice touch by explaining the origins of the Dunker Church.

One of Lincoln's greatest blunder in the Civil War was appointing McClellan overall commander of the AoP, although it must be stated that he really didn't have much to choose from. McClellan's timidity and nervousness coupled with his incessant demands for ever greater number of reinforcements from Washington infected the AoP's command structure until Grant arrived. What's worse, McClellan had a copy of Lee's battleplan but was still too cowardly to take advantage of it. Totally unfit to lead in battle. Cheers!

I like this, I’d love to see you do more of these type of videos on other battles. I feel like the peninsula campaign would be an interesting campaign to cover, with some interesting battles.

Thanks for this detailed video. My ancestor was in Duryee's brigade and it's cool to know they fought alongside the Iron Brigade

I have read about this battle but this, even though less detailed, makes it so much clearer.

Great stuff

These are fantastic. I have attempted similar things using period maps overlaid on current satellite images. I would love to see your take on the Seven Days Battles around Richmond. I have walked the grounds of Beaver Dam Creek, Gaines' Mill, Glendale, and Malvern Hill many times.

I visited Antietam on the way home from Gettysburg in July, 2013. Being an avid student of history, in particular the wars fought and especially the Civil War, I was awed and humbled to stand on such hallowed ground, where so many thousands of brave young men on both sides lost their lives during this horrific battle. I would recommend and encourage all Americans to visit this historic battlefield.

Excellent

My Great Great Grandfather was at the battle on the 2 nd day - Thanks for the great explanation of the battle.

The Maps and animations are very helpful.

Very well done! I like the way you zoom in and out show topographical maps. The carnage is beyond comprehension. A senior Canadian.

My great-great-grandfather, Friedrich Deihle, a German immigrant, was part of the New York forces called the "Steuben Guards" or "Steuben Rifles", composed mainly of German-Americans, that assaulted the Sunken Road from the north. They were fighting to one side of the Irish Brigade. As far as I know, he was not wounded in this battle and went on to fight further battles in Virginia and was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg while assaulting Marie's Heights. He was evacuated to a hospital in Philadelphia and was released from service after recovering his wounds. He then returned to New York and enlisted in an artillery unit that was sent to Fort Monroe, Virginia. From there his unit was deployed in the "Peninsula Campaign" until the end of the war. He then returned home to New York.

Hello, Can you do me a favor and categorize your civil war videos? They are all out if order, and I’m trying to watch them in a timeline. Thanks keep up the good work

Amazing af!!!

This video (and channel) is amazing. The satellite maps really help me understand the disposition of forces.

Superb summation

Actually the most amazing thing about this is that McClellan still had a job after the Peninsula Campaign.

Incredible retelling. This is the standard now

Good stuff

Well done. I'm related to General Israel Richardson. As a little boy I use to visit Antietam Battle Field. Some day I plan to take my kids.

Good video

Wow, just WOW.

Once again, you’ve nailed it. Your explanations are clear, concise & you clear up any confusion around the troop movement and timing of the battlefield events. Point of interest, my great uncle was a Sergeant in the Danville Artillery & was mortally wounded I’m pretty sure on Nicodemus Hill early morning action, from Union Artillery returning fire. My family doesn’t have documentation of the time, place of death, but logically I believe it had to be early morning on the hill.

The detail, topographic maps, animation, and presentation are absolutely wonderful. Congratulations on this epic video! Thank you for doing your part to ensure that history, as a subject, continues to be taught - at least here on youtube...

McClellan in my opinion gets so much undeserved dirt thrown on him. What he a great military commander? No, he didn’t have what it takes. But he valued the men under his command. He didn’t feel comfortable just leading men into slaughter, even if it would mean a victory. I feel like he valued the lives of his men more than the wars outcome. And while that’s not always the best virtue for a military leader, you’d at least know he wouldn’t do what burnside did at Fredericksburg

"McClellan comes in cautiously." If there were never a more true and foreboding statement made.

Just saying but I had a 4x great uncle Named George E Kitzmiller and he was at this battle fighting in the ranks of Company K First Pennsylvania Reserves Infantry Regiment which was part of seymours brigade in this battle

On the iPhone, the video went black just after beginning of battle - not sure what went wrong . Works fine on the laptop. Incredible to imagine this, following it in a bird's eye view. Thanks for the video.

My great great grandfather was in company b of the 38th georgia regiment he was shot in the forehead on the 17th and lived on to die in 1880 if he had died I would not be alive today the man was tough

Good concise recounting. So much more could be said about why things happened the way they did. MacClellan's poor overall grasp of the situation, even with a copy of Lee's plan, the piecemeal attacks, Lee's reckless invasion and risky position, Burnside's insistence on crossing the bridge instead of fording the creek which, in September, was pretty fordable in other places besides known fords. MacClellan could have ended the war that day but was unsure and afraid. I guess Lee knew his opponent.

McClellan, one of the south's best generals

5800 subs? That's low, people are ignorant. Great channel.

Very good. 👍 I would have liked to know what happened to Greenes's brigade at Dunker church. They were also thrown back after multiple rebel assaults

Really enjoy your series of videos. Would suggest that you research the pronunciation of commander's names as it detracts from the overall excellent work.

Very clear and enhanced by the use of areial photography so you can see the landscape clearly.

A full quarter of McClellan's "massive" army had never fired a shot in anger, being brand new recruits. There were whole regiments who had not even received training on how to fire their rifles. They arrived in Washington DC and the next day began their march toward Antietam. I recommend this video, which is a Gettysburg Park Ranger talking about the two respective armies at Antietam, and their relative experience in the art of war. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WPM4SeXaIuY.html

Is this a series? I'd love to see it from the beginning

My great grandfather was in Brooke’s unit attacking the sunken road. 53rd Penn Vol infantry Co.I

I don't know if anyone has commented on the following, but Washington was not designated as the District of Columbia (Criminals) at that period. This term was to come later after the war. It was just referred to as 'Washington City'.

How many slaves did Lee have with his army, performing work that was performed by soldiers in the union army? This issue is almost never discussed when the relative numbers of soldiers in civil war battles are given. The only significant discussion I know of is in Guelzo’s book on Gettysburg.

Just found out that my ancestor Robert B VanValkenburgh was in command of the recruiting depot in Elmira and organized seventeen regiments early in the Civil War. He was elected as a Republican to the 37th and 38th United States Congresses, holding office from March 4, 1861, to March 3, 1865. While in the House he was Chairman of the Committee on Militia (37th and 38th Congresses). He served as colonel of the 107th New York Volunteer Infantry, and was its commander at the Battle of Antietam.

Does anyone know what type of federal uniforms did AP Hills Corp capture from Harper’s Ferry we talking sack coats or frocks or a mix

Thank you so much. I have refought Antietam over and over using the Talon “Battlefield Antietam” pc game (which is excellent). I never understood why McClellan didn’t try to outflank Lee by approaching down the west flank of the west woods. The Union army just piled up through the cornfield…

Just a quick correction: Hartsuff's brigade is mislabeled as "Hartstuff". Otherwise, nicely done.

Alternative title for the battle: McClellan gets lucky.

Robert E Lee from the minds of Minolta.Going to go visit September 17, 2022 for the 160th anniversary all the renovations should be complete by then Great video sir

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It's hard to find a battle more mismanaged than Antietam. Especially considering Lee's orders that came into federal hands.

Great video! One possible point of controversy, however. That summer, there was an immense drought within Maryland for multiple months. This would’ve greatly impacted the agriculture of the area, such as corn growth. Also, the corn of the time (1860’s) didn’t grow nearly as tall compared to today’s genetically modified corn. With that in mind, Miller’s cornfield would’ve had (relatively) unobstructed views for both sides. There would’ve been no true concealment for defenders or attackers in this instance. It was a literal death trap for anyone who dared step foot into it.

Maybe it was already said, but can you give typical numbers for the different unit sizes?

How bad a General can you be when you know what the enemy is going to do . You have more of everything than your enemy , and the best you can do is fight to a draw.

My GreatUncle John owned the house general Rodman died in when I was a kid. It's the one just northeast of Burnside Bridge,just across the road. The state let him name his driveway. He said "UN" State asked why? UN-road He had a sense of humor.

Whatever prevented McLellan from attacking over the Middle Bridge? and flanking the Sunken Lane and indeed the rest of the Lee's army. He still had a chance to carry out his initial plan, hit the left, or hit the right, and if either was successful, hit the middle? or maybe they did cross it?

Fantastic presentation Jeffrey! Really enjoyed the animation (as you know picture is worth a thousand words) as it helps immensely w/understanding troop movements & what Gen'ls Lee & McClellan were attempting to achieve w/their chess moves. As many students of the war & this battle in particular realize, Gen. Lee had the heart of a riverboat gambler, while Gen. McClellan had the heart of a chicken.

The Union seems like a largely cooperative enemy here. Obliging, even. Crossing one bridge at at time especially.

Was this narrated by Dennis Miller? Doesn’t say so in the credits but it sure sounds like him.

Hi Jeff, That's a shaded relief map not a topographic map. Your point would be better served using an actual topographic map, or maybe even a shaded relief-topographic map combo. Thanks for the video.

This is good but still feels extremely opaque. For example It would be hugely helpful regarding Hooker‘s initial attack to also know where all the non-engaged regiments in the area were, what they were doing, where Mansfield was etc. It would also help a lot to know what Hooker‘s or Meade‘s tactical plans were. Were they trying to keep the front narrow, were they keeping lots of reserves, why didn‘t they flank the enemy.