**[THE BATTLE OF SHEPHERDSTOWN]{.underline}**

**[By James T. Surkamp]{.underline}**

**[Testimony before the Energy and Natural Resources
Committee]{.underline}**

**[April 9, 2008, 2:30 PM]{.underline}**

**[Introduction]{.underline}**

The two-day Battle of Shepherdstown - just days after the bloodiest day
in American military history at Antietam --- had a major impact on the
outcome of the Civil War that far exceeded its tactical implications.
Instead of continuing with a plan to re-invade Maryland and fight on,
General Robert E. Lee ordered his army south in what the world saw as a
defeat. The world included the governments of England and France which
were likely to recognize the Confederacy, if a military victory could
have been accomplished. Seeing Lee retreat on September 20, 1862
convinced President Abraham Lincoln that he did, indeed, finally have
the battlefield victory that he believed was a necessary precondition
for the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation. What America
stood for was thus changed forever.

**[The Maryland Campaign]{.underline}**

By many historians, the Army of Northern Virginia's September 1862
Maryland Campaign is regarded as the most pivotal, and, perhaps the
turning point of the Civil War. The Campaign involved three battles:
South Mountain on September 14; Antietam on September 17; and,
Shepherdstown on September 19-20. The campaign's goal was two-fold. A
major military victory in the north might: 1) convince the citizens of
Maryland to secede from the United States; and, 2) obtain recognition of
the Confederate government's legitimacy from England and France.
President Abraham Lincoln was hoping for a victory by General George
McClellan's Army of the Potomac so that he would be able to announce the
Emancipation Proclamation.

After the Battle of Antietam, Lee ordered the Army of Northern Virginia
to retreat across the Potomac River at Boteler's Ford, about 1 mile east
of Shepherdstown. It was his intention to

continue the Maryland Campaign by reentering Maryland by crossing the
river at Williamsport. He ordered JEB Stuart's cavalry to ford the river
at Williamsport and to screen the ford from Union observation. In two
dispatches to Jefferson Davis, Lee revealed his intention to ford the
river at

Williamsport and continue the Maryland Campaign. These dispatches can be
found in [The WAR OF THE REBELLION: A Compilation of the Official
Records of the Union And Confederate Armies. Series I --- Volume XIX,
Part I - Reports.]{.underline}

Late on the afternoon of September 19, Lee left Major General William
Pendleton on the bluffs overlooking Boteler's Ford with 34 artillery
pieces and about 600 infantry to cover the retreat and guard the
movement of Lee's army through Martinsburg to the ford at Williamsport.
Pendleton had never commanded troops in battle and when the Union
artillery devastated his gunners and the Union infantry started to cross
the Potomac, he panicked. He left the battlefield looking for help and
found Lee near midnight; his report was that he had lost all his
artillery and the Union Army had captured the south bank of the Potomac.
Ironically, his troops were better behaved than their commander and 30
artillery pieces were saved. And, while the Confederates had retreated
from the Potomac, the Union forces, after capturing the south bank
returned to the Maryland side in the early evening.

Lee ordered General "Stonewall" Jackson to send troops back to the ford
to stem the tide of the Union Army. Jackson, with A.P.Hill and his
"Light Division" started a march to the ford at dawn on September 20. At
about the same time, the Union Army sent a 3000 troop reconnaissance in
force

south of the river in order to locate the Confederate Army. The two
armies clashed at about

10:00AM, approximately 1 1/2 miles south of the river. The Union Army
was out-manned by about

2 to l and began a retreat back toward the river. The two armies fought
for about 4-5 hours as the Union troops made their way back to Maryland.
In total, about 9,000 troops took part in the Battle of Shepherdstown
incurring 677 casualties about equally divided between the two armies.

**[Conclusion]{.underline}**

The importance of the Battle of Shepherdstown is not just because it was
the most important Civil War battle fought in what was to become the
state of West Virginia. The consequences of the Battle of Shepherdstown
are far more important for the entire nation than just the military
action. Lee, because he believed Pendleton's report, assumed that he was
being pursued aggressively by McClellan. The Confederate commander
changed his plans and, on September 20, ordered his troops south toward
Winchester. Had he not revised his plan, the Battle of Gettysburg might
have occurred in September 1862 with a vastly different result when
compared with July 1863. In 1862, "Stonewall" Jackson was still alive,
JEB Stuart's cavalry was in the right place, and Lee's opponent, would
have been the ever- cautious McClellan. Perhaps the Emancipation
Proclamation would have been delayed or never issued by Lincoln.

As a result of the Battle of Shepherdstown: 1) Maryland remained a
border state within the Union; 2) England and France did not recognize
the Confederate government; and, 3) Abraham. Lincoln, with the total
withdrawal of the Army of Northern Virginia could claim a Union victory
and announce the Emancipation Proclamation.

**[Battlefield Preservation]{.underline}**

About 4 years ago, the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation
Association Inc. (SBPA) was formed to save and protect about one-half of
the battlefield's 640 acres. Conservation easements

have been placed on 84 acres of the site that are owned by members of
SBPA. In 2006, a Transportation Enhancement Grant of \$100,000 was
secured to help purchase battlefield land and the Civil War Preservation
Trust agreed to provide the matching funds. In addition, last year, the
County Commission of Jefferson County allocated \$100,000 to help
purchase battlefield land.