Failure In Success
Antietam is one of the great battles of the American Civil War, involving 130,000 soldiers (infantry, cavalry, and artillery). There’s only one way to describe the Battle of Antietam: a bloody, awful mess. It is remembered in history as the single, deadliest one-day battle ever fought on American soil. The Union won the field that day, in spite of bad command decisions by General George McClellan and his field commanders. Lee was driven away, his weaker numbers unable to take victory, despite his own tactical brilliance. By the end of the day, over 3600 men were dead, and another 19,000 injured (and likely dead shortly thereafter, thanks to medical practices in the 19th century). A bloody, awful mess, indeed.
A lot of men died in the Civil War. Over 600,000 men gave their lives on the field of battle through the course of the war, and (as always happens in war) an uncountable number of civilians lost theirs as well. But Antietam holds another special place in American history. The pre-Grant Union Army could do what only the pre-Grant Union Army could do: it snatched defeat from the claws of victory. If Gen. McClellan was any kind of able commander, instead of the pompous ass he was, he would have crushed the Confederate army right then and there, and ended the war within 18 months of its inception at Fort Sumter. But McClellan lacked something that defines winners from losers: energy and drive. He allowed his forces (thousands of whom didn’t even fire a shot) to rest on their laurels while Robert E. Lee’s men retreated southward. If only McClellan had acted then and there, and whupped Lee in the fields of Maryland, the war would have been over.
I really want to let that soak in a bit. If McClellan had acted, the Battle of Fredericksburg would not have happened (2,000 dead). Spotsylvania would not have happened (4,000 dead). Chancellorsville would not have happened (est. 5,000 dead). Chickamauga would not have happened (est. 6,000 dead). The Battle of Gettysburg would not have happened (8,000 dead). Richmond would not have been sacked and looted. New York would not have had its draft riots. Atlanta would not have been burned to the ground. Virginia would not have had its entire countryside scoured by war. And maybe an assassin would not have claimed the life of the greatest President we ever had.
But McClellan sat on his lazy ass, Lee got away, and country had three more years of war. Good job, Georgie!
I suppose there is success in failure as well. One good thing came out of Antietam (beyond McClellan’s immediate firing): Lincoln’s most famous, yet most misunderstood, act — the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln had been working on it for some time, but needed the right moment to release it. As lame as McClellan’s actions were, he gave Lincoln that moment: a Union victory over the Confederate army. Lincoln released his document to the public, gave a wonderful speech, and America turned a vital corner away from slavery (read more commentary on Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation here).
Walk the Path of History
Even though I love the National Park Service and the sites they protect, I have to admit: many of the Civil War sites are nearly undecipherable. You have to really use your imagination to envision the order of battle or the strategic importance of the terrain. It’s hard to imagine a line of Union artillery in a Wendy’s parking lot. What were they firing at, the Avis Car Rental?
Antietam, on the other hand, is a great park to envision an old battle. The Dunker Church still stands, the Cornfield has been replanted. Bloody Lane is still discernable, and the sturdy Burnside Bridge remains. The latter represents the greatest blunder of the Civil War behind Pickett’s Charge. Union Major General Ambrose Burnside ordered thousands of men to storm across the stone bridge, where they were easily slaughtered by well-placed Confederate riflemen. Old Dumb Ass didn’t realize he could send his thousands of troops across the creek itself, where their numbers would simply swarm over the enemy positions. The ruddy thing was only a couple of feet deep! Nothing I could write could explain the idiocy of funneling all your men across a tiny bridge where they could be slaughtered like crawdads at a Cajun restaurant. The Antietam National Battlefield preserves this land so perfectly that a short visit and some clever observations will reveal what should have been so obvious in 1862.
Antietam is a wonderful park to visit. It’s not a long drive from Washington, DC. Next time you’re in the nation’s capital, stop by Antietam. Make sure you stop by for a pint at Brewer’s Alley in Fredericksburg, MD!
Sadly, I didn’t own a digital camera when I visited Antietam. Historical pictures courtesy of a terrific Civil War website: Antietam on the Web.
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Links:
Antietam National Battlefield and Cemetery
America In Context 
I truly take exception to the outrageously optimisitic views expressed here about the consequences which would not have occurred had McClellan acted as the author would have hoped. I am no defender of McClellan’s actions at Antietam. I am, however, a student of history and the consequences of war. There can be no accurate predictions concerning anyone’s failure to act in the course of a war in determining all or any subsequent consequences. Any one who thinks otherwise does not understand warfare. It is an unnatural beast and we as humans are incapable of taming it via hindsight.
I appreciate your comment, and I appreciate your candor. 🙂
I do stand by what I posted. OK, I admit, I used poetic license when I effectively declared the Civil War could have ended right then and there if McClellan had chased down Lee’s army. To strengthen your point, I ignored the entire western campaign which, as noted historian Shelby Foote wrote, was as important to the war as the more famous Virginia campaigns. A capitulation of Lee would not necessarily mean a capitulation of the armies of the western theaters. And the Confederate leadership could have made any number of tactical and strategic adjustments, or any number of other variables could have altered things.
But I still stand by the central point of my essay. In war, when one has the advantage, one must press it then and there, or else you allow the enemy to regroup and recoup. You can’t overextend, but you can, and should, continue to overwhelm the enemy as far as resources and logistics allow. McClellan clearly did not do that, it seems that you concur with that point at least.
Consider Pearl Harbor as another case of not pressing the advantage. It has been argued that if the Japanese had taken advantage of that devastating attack and launched a third wave, it would have crippled the American Navy for up to a year, making the attack on Midway moot. That would have altered the entire course of the war, perhaps even of both theaters. Even Yamamoto regretted that decision not to press the attack.
Warfare is a horrible, bloody mess that bleeds both sides. Proper strategy is to end it as quickly as possible. The more decisive your victory, the greater the likelihood your side will survive. I feel McClellan acted stupidly, not decisively, and the nation needlessly suffered through prolonged war.
I am currently writing a book about my Great Grandfather’s experiences in the Civil War. He was in 34 battles and I have copies of hundreds of his letters and diaries. Though I do not consider myself an expert, I have been studying the war for 15 years. I agree in part with your assertions about McClellan’s “slow to act” approach and concur that had he pressed the enemy immediately on Sept. 18th, 1862 after the battle of Antietam the outcome could have been different. This assumption does not take into account the condition of the troops following the battle. They had been marching for days, fought at South Mountain, marched again with nearly no sleep, fought all day without having food for 24 hours, had not washed or changed their clothing in over 6 weeks and their uniforms and shoes were in tatters. Many had no shoes. By their own words the men have stated “we were pretty used up”. It is easy to sit in our reclining chairs in comfort and make judgements about the actions of men taken in a time we can hardly perceive. We could conclude that the actions of Halleck, Stanton and Lincoln and their continual meddling and interference with military decisions could have prolonged the war. Non of these conclusions, however, should be presented as having validity. They are only opinions by we “Monday Morning Quarterbacks”.
It is perhaps better to err on the side of kindness when we judge the actions of men and events of time. They did their duty under conditions we can scarcely imagine and did so at the risk of their lives and careers.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment, Dick. 🙂 You make a very fair point about the condition of the troops.
The only counter I would add is the notion that Gen. Fitzjohn Porter’s reserves were unused during the battle and could have been brought to bear.
Generically, McLellan was far too conservative in his approach to warfare, something that irritated Lincoln to no end. Always waiting for more troops, more supplies, more time, never taking the offensive until the offensive came to him. Overall, a poor leader to have in a time of war.
But you’re right, armchair quarterbacking serves little purpose.
I’m heading to Sharpsburg next week to visit the Antietam battleground so I appreciate the the insights from Barky and the responders. I just read four major histories of the war including one by Macpherson. Though it is impossible to predict what may have happened if mcClellan had acted more decisively, all of the authors seemed to concur that the war could have been radically altered if McClellan “got off his ass” as Barky put it. It appears that even Lincoln came to think it.
The person I’m travelling with to Sharpsburg is a real student of the war and the threads mentioned by all will be discussed at length. Thanks to all for enlightening a novice.
Hope you enjoy your trip, Wendell. Let me know what you thought!
Not that I’m impressed a lot, but this is a lot more than I expected for when I found a link on Delicious telling that the info is awesome. Thanks.
Thanks Random Dude. 🙂
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