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Burnside's Bridge
View from the overlook.
OAFS Photo |
The two armies referred to the bridge above as the Lower Bridge (so yes, there were two other bridges, the Middle and the Upper, see the following map, click to embiggen). After the battle it became known as Burnside's Bridge.
A glance at the map shows the importance of Lee's troops holding that position. Not far from that bridge is the South's line of retreat across the Potomac, cut that and the Army of Northern Virginia would be destroyed. If any other general but George McClellan had been in command. But I digress.
The bridge remains nearly exactly as it was in 1862. It's narrow and it's completely covered from a position just to the west of Antietam Creek as you can see in that opening photo. Some 500 to 700 Georgians with 12 cannon stymied most of Burnside's corps for quite some time.
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Charge of the 51st New York Infantry and 51st Pennsylvania Infantry regiments across Burnside's Bridge
Edwin Forbes. (PD) |
It's worth noting that the tree next to the bridge in the middle of the sketch closest to the viewer is still there, a lot bigger as you might imagine. (They call it Burnside's sycamore.)
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Burnside's Sycamore
OAFS Photo |
Three attacks were made across the bridge, the first two were repulsed with heavy casualties. When I stood on the bridge and looked to the heights, I wondered how any man could have gotten across in the face of such resistance.
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The middle of the bridge
OAFS Photo |
While men were being flung at the bridge, another Union unit, Rodman's Division, had found a crossing further to the south of the bridge. The Confederate left was in danger of being turned, which must have had a negative effect on the guys defending the heights. Nothing like hearing a fire fight to your rear when you're fighting a guy in front of you!
Eventually Ferrero's Brigade (51st New York Volunteer Infantry and the 51st Pennsylvania Infantry) forced a crossing.
Just as it seemed McClellan might cut the Army of Northern Virginia's line of retreat, General A.P. Hill's boys showed up to reinforce Lee's right flank after a hard march of 17 miles from Harper's Ferry.
Eye opening and humbling to walk that ground. Bravery on both sides was abundant that day. I salute them all.
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| OAFS Photo |
Some good photos there of that bridge, first and third shots really reinforce the " Nope, nope, nope" GIFs that come to mind. Marching in column across THAT while under fire from THERE?
ReplyDeleteYup, didn't work until the Georgians had to retreat to protect the army's line of communications.
DeleteBurnside was not a very good general, his one saving grace is that he knew it and didn't pretend he was. The whole bridge fight was unnecessary, the creek was shallow enough to be forded both above and below the bridge and it took a long time for anyone to investigate it. Dumb ass generals get men killed in bunches, think Haig at the Somme. Jackson, Lee, et. al. built quite a reputation against such as these. It is ironic that the opposition to the Harlem Globetrotters was called the Washington Generals. There is a reference for the old timers.
ReplyDeleteDumbass generals have been getting men killed to no purpose since the first organized armies.
DeleteBurnside is a big deal here in Little Rhody as he was a three term governor here. He died here in my wee town.
I found the battle site on a map, then I found Gettysburg and Appomattox just to get a feel for where these things were happening. This is a long ways from Atlanta...
ReplyDeleteA very long ways, even by car!
DeleteSarge - Thanks for the pictures, diagram, and description. It makes it all too real.
ReplyDeleteWhen we were at the Brandywine battlefield there is an oak that has been their since that battle as well. It is remarkable to me that we still effectively have survivors from those long ago events, even if they cannot speak.
There are three or four dead trees still standing near Hougoumont on the field of Waterloo, were still alive the morning of the battle. Shot to hell by the end.
DeleteSarge, thanks once more for feeding our intellects on your " time off"!
ReplyDeleteBG
I do what I can. 😎
DeleteJust a note for your readers, the American Battlefield Trust has a nice website, with lots of maps 'n stuff.... The mission of the Trust is to preserve battlefield-adjacent land parcels that are put up for sale or that are in danger of development.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/antietam
Second that ...
DeleteIt's where I went the night before we walked the round, extremely useful and that organization is outstanding!
When I visited Antietam and saw Burnside's Bridge, the first thing I thought was, the fact that he eventually got live soldiers across it explains everything he did at Fredericksburg.
ReplyDeleteExcept for the flanking movement, which he had nothing to do with, it was the same.
DeleteHow do you keep charging into the meatgrinder? Temporary insanity. Just look at the whole 'walking into death' of assaults across No Man's Land during WWII. The Blackadder series dealing with WWI handles this in typical sarcastic but truthful way. You do until you don't, either because you've won, died or morale is finally shattered and you and your mates stop.
ReplyDeleteOp Apache Snow-Hill 937 - In Vietnam we suffered many examples of counterproductive leadership,,faulty planning & questionable conjured intelligence resulting in excessive casualties & hollow, disputed victories - .These are hallmarks of all wars, regardless of perceived righteousness & otherwise......
DeleteI have a book about a WW2 US infantry battalion suggestively titled "The Clay Pigeons of St Lo".
DeleteBeans - Pigheadedness on the part of the generals, training and discipline on the soldiers' part. Also the desire to not let down your peers.
DeletePeer pressure is really what keeps the small units going, which keep the bigger units going, on up the line.
Questionable conjured intelligence, McClellan would have fit right in!
DeleteDon - That's a book worth reading!
DeleteSarge, in one tense action in 'Clay Pigeons', they were facing a strong German counterattack supported by tanks. A shell had hit a nexus of communications wire to the rear, turning it into a tangled mess. The wiremen were told to splice the unit into any intact connection. By sheer luck, a voice came up on the phone "This is Angel". "What are you, Angel"? "Artillery"!!! They had accidently made contact with a battery of 155s that could fire anywhere on their front. Shortly afterwards "You're hitting them Angel, but they're still coming. Keep firing Angel, because you're all we got"...
DeleteAn angel intervened!
DeleteI've an aerial photo of Burnside's Bridge. Where shall I send it so you can decide to add to the post?
ReplyDeleteOldafsarge at gmail dot com
DeleteThanks!