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South Mountain |
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Once General Lee lost the battle at the second Manassas, he felt that he should move the battles north. Hoping that he could influence the Northerners to pressuring their government to sue for peace, he took his troops to cross the Potomac River into Maryland on September 4th. Even though the stakes were very high that day Lee decided to make the move anyway. Making there way north they ended up camping around and in the small town of Frederick. That was where General Lee ordered and prepared Special Order 191. Special Order 191 was basically a plan where what he would do is divide his army into five different parts. He sent Generals Jackson, McLaws, and Walker to Harper's Ferry to make sure that the Union wouldn't interfere with the supplies they needed and their communication lines.
The principal commanders of the battle were Major General George B. McClellan(on
the right) and General Jesse Reno who commanded the Union. In 1864 General McClellan
was nominated by the Democrats to run against the president. He would later resign
his commission on the day of the elections because he was embarrassed by the platform's
call for the cessation of hostilities. General Jesse Reno was the third oldest child
born to his mother Rebecca Reno. When he joined the U.S. Military Academy at West
Point, he joined the calls of 1846 where he became friends with George The generals for the Confederates were General Robert Edward Lee(on the left) and General Samuel Garland, Jr. General Lee had parents who fought in the Revolutionary War, his father "Light Horse Harry" Lee and his mother Ann Carter but his father took most of his money and deserted his mother when Lee was very young. As for General Garland, Jr., his father, Samuel Garland, Sr., was a well-known lawyer but he died when Garland, Jr. was only five years old. He later entered a classical school two years after his father's death and then graduated from the Virginia military institute. Future presidents William McKinley and Rutherford B. Hayes were also fighting in this battle. President McKinley was not fighting in the battle but was a supply sergeant. McKinley was assassinated while in office on September 14, 1901, which was 39 years after the battle. Unlike President McKinley, President Hayes was a lieutenant colonel with the 23rd Ohio and was wounded. He was left on the field until the battle ended and then was taken to a house in Middletown where he later recovered. Earlier that year Hayes left for his first time for the military on February 1. He had not shaved since he got to Virginia, which was six months earlier. He had a full beard. During the battle the world still had it's own things going on. On the other side of the world a treaty was made by San Marino and Italy. It was a treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. The treaty was renewed and expanded several times. In China they had the Taiping Rebellion going on. It lasted for 20 years and was lead by Hong Xiuquan. He though he was the younger son of Jesus and he was to proclaim the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace. In Africa they had the Cape Wars. It lasted from 1858 to 1864. Then in New Zealand the Second Maori War was going on. The Second Maori War started because a Maori land owner was going to sell a piece of Maori land to a white owner and the Maori chief didn't want to give any land to any white people because they had already started to lose their land. That is what was happening in the world at the time of the battle of South Mountain. Although the battle only lasted for about 24 hours it was still a tragedy for those who lost their loved ones. All of the battles that were fought in the Civil War were fought over something that is still being fought over in some places today, unity between all. When that battle will end, is up to us. |
While Lee's plan went into
effect, McClellan moved into an area around Fredrick. That was when McClellan got
lucky and found a copy of Lee's Special Order 191 wrapped up with a bundle of cigars
in a field on a farm near by. Finding the paper gave McClellan time to catch Lee
and his army while they were still divided. September 14 was when the first shot
was fired. It was fired by the Confederate gunners when they saw the Federal forces
moving toward the base of the hill. The first shot was fired around the areas of
Fox's Gap and Turner's Gap. General Reno and Garland both suffered wounds while in
combat near Fox's Gap. The battle took place in Fox's, Turner's, and Crampton's Gaps
on South Mountain. The fighting went on most of the day. When evening came the Confederates
lines weren't doing to well. General Lee recognized this and during the night he
ordered his troops to withdraw. As the Union army was still holding their ground,
the Confederates retreated back into the mountain and through the gap. Just as they
reached the gap, Confederate General Howell Cobb arrived with 1,300 men. They bravely
tried to hold their ground firing at the Union troops. In just about 15 minutes Cobb's
men were down. When roll was called the following day only 300 men answered. After
all the Confederates had been cleared out of Crampton's Gap the Union General Franklin
ordered his men to camp there during the night. Once all the gaps had been cleared
and taken up by the Union, General Lee realized that he could not even try to continue
the battle. So he decided to pull his army back into Antietam Creek. That was when
he learned that McClellan's men at Harper's Ferry had fallen. That was when he decided
to hold his ground. That was when McClellan found Lee's army was waiting for him
to attack. On September 17 it would later lead into the battle of Antietam, which
would be called the bloodiest day in American history. But at the end of the battle
it became another Union victory.
McClellan. Later he graduated eighth in his class of 59 on
July 1, 1846.
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