This Day In History | Civil War September 18, 1862 McClellan Lets Lee Retreat from Antietam

historychannel.com ^ | 9/18/05 | historychannel.com

[mainepatsfan]

This Day In History | Civil War

September 18

1862 McClellan Lets Lee Retreat from Antietam

Confederate General Robert E. Lee's army pulls away from Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and heads back to Virginia. The day before, Lee's force had engaged in the biggest one-day battle of the Civil War against the army of General George B. McClellan. The armies struggled to a standstill, but the magnitude of losses forced Lee to abandon his invasion of Maryland.

The significance of the battle was not Lee's withdrawal, but McClellan's lack of pursuit. When Lee settled into a defensive line above Antietam Creek on September 16, he had only about 43,000 troops. McClellan had around 50,000 in position on September 17, with many more on the way.

On September 18, the armies remained in their positions without fighting. By this point, Lee was highly vulnerable. His army had its back to the Potomac River, just a few miles away, and a quarter of his force had been lost in the previous day's battle. And after more than two weeks of marching, his men were tired. McClellan, on the other hand, welcomed an additional 12,000 troops on September 18, with another 24,000 who had seen little or no action the day before, to join his original force. But, although he outnumbered Lee's troops by almost three times, McClellan did not pursue Lee. In fact, despite constant urging from President Lincoln and Chief of Staff Henry Halleck, McClellan did not move toward Virginia for over a month. McClellan overestimated the size of Lee's force, assuming that Lee had nearly 100,000 troops in his command, and insisted that the fall of Harpers Ferry, Virginia, on September 15 allowed an additional 40,000 Confederate troops—in his inflated estimation—to fight at Antietam.

In McClellan's defense, it should be noted that his soldiers were extremely fatigued after the Battle of Antietam, which was the bloodiest day of the war. It would be difficult to rally them for another attack; but certainly not impossible. Instead, Lee was allowed to escape with his command intact. A chance to destroy the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia was lost, and the war lasted another two and a half years.

[billorites]

A story in my wife's family is about how the neighbor, General McClellan, saved her grandmother, a small child then, from a swarm of bees.

I always have doubted the story and fancied the General stood by and watched the child get stung.

[aspiring.hillbilly]

If only our side had won our freedom, if only!

[mainepatsfan]

He probably had troops in reserve that could have helped but he was sure there were more bees just over the next hill.

[yarddog]

My Nephew, (My Niece's husband) is a descendent of General McClellan. At least I think that is right.

Anyway I have always thought he was a much better general than history has portrayed him. The Southern Generals consistently described him as their toughest opponent.

[SquirrelKing]

I always have doubted the story and fancied the General stood by and watched the child get stung.

He was convinced that 500 bees were really 2000 bees and called for reinforcements.

[SSR1]

"If only our side had won our freedom.."

If we had won it would have doomed the slaves to 50 more years of misery before the whole system collapsed and left the South even more of an economic basket than it is now! Do we really think that the South would have been a better place if we had kept the slave system? I don't. Born and raised in the South. I love my homeland, but I'm glad we lost that war. We fought bravely,but our cause was not just. Slavery is wrong. Would you wish it on your children?

[PMCarey]

Anyway I have always thought he was a much better general than history has portrayed him.

He would have been a great defensive general for the south. He had very little talent for the offense - which is what the North required.

[mainepatsfan]

He seemed more worried about not losing a battle than winning one.

[jrg]

Guys.....Guys.....what are you saying?

Don't you realize that this was just the first recorded account of "million man math"?

[SquirrelKing]

Don't you realize that this was just the first recorded account of "million man math"?

LOL

[jrg]

Slavery was an abomination! However, states rights were the issue.
I do agree that if the south had won, it would have been very bleak for the slaves and the South in the long term, but eventually, the entire system of slavery and their agricultural economy would break down .
I am basically a conservative, but it does pain me that it took around a hundred years before the blacks in this country were actually beginning to be treated correctly.
(please don't flame me for any welfare/goobermint giveaway programs....I'm a "Free beans and rice" to everyone.)

[ryan71]

"The Southern Generals consistently described him as their toughest opponent."

Yeah, so Lincoln would keep him where he was.

A competent organizer and administrator, but no soldier.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Your neighbor's grandmother must have been union, right?

[bill1952]

To be fair, he was also struggling under the burden of Pinkerton's analysis, and he must be judged with that in regard.

In the day, Pinkerton was considered a gold standard, at least in the beginning.

It was also his politics, or lack of political savvy that doomed him.

Think what would have happened if Pope or Burnside had commanded the Army of the Potomac at that time.

They might have established the Confederacy right then and there.

Antietam allowed the Emancipation Proclamation to be issued, and that is what ultimately allowed the war to be won.

[Christopher Lincoln]

Joseph Johnston didn't think so. Commanding a Confederate army against McClellan's much stronger force in the Peninsular Campaign, he commented that nobody but McClellan would have hesitated to attack.

[mainepatsfan]

He had the same problems with overestimating Confederate strength during the Peninsula campaign.

[mainepatsfan]

I've often wondered what a McClellan presidency would have looked like.

[johnny7]

Snakes do not fear bee's...

and McClellan was king of the copperheads.

[bill1952]

Absolutely correct. And right there he could have ended the war.

By one of the great ironies of history, a total victory there or at the Antietam would have brought the type of peace that he envisioned, not the one that was finally imposed after years of bloody warfare.

BTW, thanks for the post.