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Hood’s Mississippians: A Confederate Counterattack Into The Cornfield – Bill Sagle
During General John Bell Hood’s counterattack in the Cornfield, two regiments from Mississippi briefly breached the Union line and scattered several regiments at and beyond the north fence. General George Meade was concerned enough to call it “one of the most critical moments of the morning.” In this tactical analysis of Hood’s counterstrike, we…
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The 23rd Ohio and Ewing’s Brigade in the Final Attack – Steve Stotelmyer
Largely overshadowed by the exploits of Lieutenant Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes at South Mountain and Commissary Sergeant William McKinley’s coffee break at the Lower Bridge, the 23rd Ohio’s action in the Final Attack at Antietam largely remains unnoticed in the popular histories of the battle. But the 23rd Ohio, along with the 12th and…
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They Answered the Call: the 130th Pennsylvania – Jason Campbell
Using their own words from letters and diaries, Institute historian Jason Campbell will follow in the footsteps of the 130th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry on August 1. In the summer of 1862, Pennsylvania volunteers were recruited primarily from Cumberland and York Counties to fill the quota of a new, nine-month regiment. Within a month, the 130th…
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Paul Semmes, Willis Gorman, and a Farmstead Too Far – Jim Buchanan
Of all the Confederate brigades thrown at Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick’s Union Division in the West Woods, none fought so hard, advanced so far, and paid a steeper price than that led by Brig. Gen. Paul Semmes. Unlike other McLaw’s Division brigades, Semmes was the only one to squarely face the front of Union…
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“Nothing to the right!”: The plight of the 13th New Jersey – Marty Pritchett
The 13th New Jersey Infantry saw its “baptism of fire” at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, arriving only days after mustering in, and suffered heavy casualties, including the death of Captain Hugh C. Irish. Becoming one of the bloodiest engagements for the unit, the 13th New Jersey would place three monuments…