Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1886-05-07
Antietam n National Park.

Two of the great battles of the late
civil war were fought north of the 70
tomac-one on the Antietam, in Mary
land, and the other at Gettysburg, in
Pennsylvania. The latter is fixed In
Northern histories as the decisive battle
of the great conflict between the North
and the South, but that fought at An
tietam was equally illustrious, and was
one of the most sanguinary engage
ments of the war. In feet, the one days
fighting at Antietam was severer than
either of the three days battles at Get
tysburg. General Mcclellan command
cd the Army OF the Potomac at the bat
tie of Antietam, and it has been sug-
gested that the State of Pennsylvania
should adoIn the historic ground by
erecting statue to that accomplished
soldier. General Mcclellan was the or
ganizer of the Army of the Potomac
that finally overwhelmed the army OF
Lee, and Antietam was the scene Of his
last engagement with that heroic army.
Antietam is, therefore, inseparably con-
nected with Gen. Mcclellan s fame, and
Pennsylvania would fifty honor ITSELF
and its millions of patriotic people by
erecting monument on that historic
field that has made his name immortal.
With Gen. Mcclellan should be Ma
ior-Generals Mansfield, Of Connecticut
Israel B. Richardson, of Vermont; Brig
adier-G eneral Isaac z. Rodman, of
Rhode Island, and all the States whose
heroic soldiers died or participated in
that sanguinary struggle should be in
vited to add the statues of their repre-
sentative warriors. Every State of the
North mingl led its blood with friend and
foe ct Antietam, and every State should
be glad to contribute its monuments TO
the heroism of its people. The South
should also be invited to join in coutrib-
uting the statues of its Chieftains who
nc Antietam met the North in battle
and proved the matchless heroism of the
American soldiery. Gen. Lee ir his
official report of this engagement says
"On The field of Sharpsburg, with less
than one. third of his number (35, 900
men), you resisted from daylight until
dark the whole army Of the enemy
Numbering l06, 900 men), and repulsed
every attack along its entire front OF
more than four miles. The whole of the
following day you stood prepared to re-
new the conflict on the same ground, ,
and retired next morning without mo-
lestation across the Potomac"
achievements such as these demanded
much valor and patriotism. History
records few examples of greater fnrti-
tude and endurance than this army has
exhibited" .
The battle of Antietam took place Sep
tember II, 1862, the previous day hav-
ing been passed in cannonading and
some skirmishing. The losses of the
Union army amounted 10 l39 officers
and 1863 men killed; 474 officers aud
9,O75 men wounded, and officers and
746 men captured or missing-in all
l2.4lO. The losses oil this side in the
entire campaign exclusive OF Harper's
Ferry, from September 3 TO 20, aggre-
gated Is, ,203. The casualties in the Con-
federate army are not So definitely
stated. According to the report of Lees
medical director (Dr. Guild) there was
a loss of l ,567 killed and S,724 wounded
I'm the battles of South Mountain, Ear
per's Ferry, Champions Gap, Sharps-
burg and Shepherdstown. DR.. Guild
does not give the number Of missing
and prisoners, and his figures of the
killed and ounded do not exactly agree
with those reported by the general OFF,
GERS, which, in few instances, are Il
little higher. Lee also does not mention
the number of prisoners captured from
him nor the missing" whose fate was
unknown. Mcclellan claims more than
5000 prisoners in the campaign, hut this
is probably either mistake or an over
estimate. Four thousand, it Is believed,
would cover the loss in prisoners and
missing. Adding these to the killed
and wounded, as shown by DR.. Guilds
report, would make the Confederate loss
from September l3 to IL amount 10
1921. Estimating four-fiths of these
for the battle of Antietam, we have the
following comparative result:
Captured
Killed. w'ded. or Total.
Union. 80. 2lO8 s.5is 758 1910
| Confed.... l,25S 6,9S0 300 II, 400
There is no: the slightest reason for
doubling that many of the "nissing" OF
Lees army were killed, and if the num-
Der could be ascertained il would mate
rally increase the latter class of casual
ties. Mcclellan says that "about 2 zoo
of the enemy's dead were counted
and buried upon the battlefield OF An
tietam;' also, that ga portion of tbeii
dead had been previously buried by the
enemy"
The hills IN the neighborhood o.
"Burnside's Bridge" Lees Rock
and the "Dunker Church" would b
fifty adorned by the statues of Lee ant