The World Needs More Kevin

The Union army had yet to defeat Robert E. Lee. Sure there were battles like Malvern Hill where they won the battle but they did not control the field afterwards. That would change in Maryland. South Mountain is a part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and separates the valleys in western Maryland. The hills are not overly high but they are steep but it was here that the Army of the Potomac won its first clear-cut victory over Robert E. Lee’s army.

George McClellan had actually done an amazing job in restoring the fighting trim to the army following the disaster at Second Bull Run. Within two weeks he had the army ready to march to block Robert E. Lee’s invasion of Maryland. His army began heading west where they received a hero’s welcome in Frederick. While encamped south of town a package was found with a copy of Robert E. Lee’s battle plan. It detailed that the Confederate force would be divided into smaller parts and gave the timetable for each movement but McClellan sat on it though for nearly 24 hours. He surely had to think that it was a ruse but someone who knew Lee’s adjutant general’s signature confirmed that it was genuine. McClellan was re-emboldened and continued moving west.

The first major obstacle would be South Mountain. Lee’s men held the three gaps, Crampton’s, Fox’s and Turner’s. He would need to take control of those passes to not only get into the valley beyond to find Robert E. Lee but with fighting going on at Harper’s Ferry he would need to do something about that as well.

Ambrose Burnside was placed in command of the I Corps and his own IX Corps with orders to assault Turner’s and Fox’s Gaps. William Franklin would be given his own VI Corps as well as a division of IV Corps under Darius Couch to assault Crampton’s Gap. Edwin Sumner with his own II and the XII Corps was held in reserve.

Lee himself was puzzled why McClellan moved so quickly. James Longstreet’s men were just about to enter Pennsylvania when Lee recalled them and returned them to Hagerstown where some were sent to defend the passes. Lee also pulled some of the men from the Harper’s Ferry attack to do the same but at daybreak only D.H. Hill’s Division were near enough to make a difference.

Crampton’s Gap was defended by cavalry and some of Lafayette McLaws’ men moved from Harper’s Ferry. He was unaware that Franklin was approaching and had only 500 men positioned to defend the gap. Franklin took his time deploying his men, almost three hours of it, and when the attack was made the gap was seized quickly with about 400 prisoners. Franklin heard the fighting at Harper’s Ferry and could have moved to try to raise the siege but did not.

D.H. Hill had more substantial defenses at the other two gaps. Joseph Hooker’s I Corps would attack Turner’s Gap and Jesse Reno leading the IX Corps would attack Fox’s Gap. Hooker assaulted the gap and drove the Confederates back in the afternoon hours. Only reinforcements from David R. Jones’ Confederate Division and Nathaniel Evans’ Brigade staved off total disaster and the approaching darkness saved the force from the total collapse of their line. The Confederates remained in control of Turner’s Gap throughout the night.

At Fox’s Gap the assault fell to Jacob Cox’s Kanawha Division. He pushed quickly through Confederate defenses but his men tired and Confederate reinforcements arrived from John Hood’s Division. Reno moved reinforcements in but the gap remained in Confederate hands throughout the night. During the fighting Reno was killed. Here as well, Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes of the 23rd Ohio and future president, was wounded. Another future president, William McKinley, was present as well in that same regiment as its commissary sergeant.

As night fell Lee still held two gaps but just barely. His outnumbered army would not be able to withstand another assault like the day before and he ordered his men to retreat to Sharpsburg. The Union had lost 2,300 men but awoke in the morning to find themselves in command of the field. Lee had lost about 2,700 men but his army was still intact. The fighting here had bought time necessary for Jackson to finish off Harper’s Ferry and for Lee to unite his army. He would need every man in the coming days.

The battlefield today is partially preserved as part of both Gathland State Park and South Mountain Battlefield State Park.