Tag: Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association

September 16, 1862: Union Clashes with Retreating Confederates near Shepherdstown

It was the morning of September 19, 1862, and two days after the Battle of Antietam. The bulk of Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army had already crossed the Potomac River at Shepherdstown.

Lee left behind a rear guard at the Potomac to defend against an anticipated attack from Union General George McClellan.

Over the next two days, Union and Confederate forces clashed off and on in the Shepherdstown vicinity. When all was said and done, nearly 700 soldiers had been killed, wounded, or captured, making Shepherdstown the bloodiest battle ever fought in what would become West Virginia.

Antietam and its aftermath convinced both commanders that the Maryland Campaign was over. On the Union side, McClellan decided that his army didn’t have the strength to keep pursuing Lee, while Lee abandoned his plans to reenter Maryland. With the Confederate Army driven south of the Potomac, President Abraham Lincoln claimed a Union victory and, on September 22, issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Despite his claims of victory, though, Lincoln was incensed by his commander’s ongoing foot-dragging in pursuing Lee. He dismissed McClellan two months later.

Union Clashes with Retreating Confederates near Shepherdstown: Sept. 19, 1862

It was the morning of September 19, 1862, and two days after the Battle of Antietam. The bulk of Robert E. Lee’s retreating Confederate Army had already crossed the Potomac River at Shepherdstown.

Lee left behind a rear guard at the Potomac to defend against an anticipated attack from Union General George McClellan.

Over the next two days, Union and Confederate forces clashed off and on in the Shepherdstown vicinity. When all was said and done, nearly 700 soldiers had been killed, wounded, or captured, making Shepherdstown the bloodiest battle ever fought in what would become West Virginia.

Antietam and its aftermath convinced both commanders that the Maryland Campaign was over. On the Union side, McClellan decided that his army didn’t have the strength to keep pursuing Lee, while Lee abandoned his plans to reenter Maryland. With the Confederate Army driven south of the Potomac, President Abraham Lincoln claimed a Union victory and, on September 22, issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Despite his claims of victory, though, Lincoln was incensed by his commander’s ongoing foot-dragging in pursuing Lee. He dismissed McClellan two months later.

National Park Service Seeks Public Comments on Shepherdstown Battlefield Boundary Adjustment

This week is the last chance to make a public comment about a boundary adjustment for the Shepherdstown Battlefield. The National Park Service is looking for thoughts and opinions on whether the battlefield should be part of the park system. If so, will it be an addition to Harpers Ferry National Historical Park or Antietam National Battlefield?

On September 19th and 20th 1862, the Battle of Shepherdstown was underway. Some say, this battle may have significantly changed the course of the American Civil War. Edward Dunleavy, the President of the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association says it was this small battle that caused Confederate General, Robert E. Lee to retreat south, halting his Maryland campaign.

“Lincoln had talked to his cabinet in July of 1862 about releasing the Emancipation Proclamation,” Dunleavy said, “and his secretary of state, Seward, said if you do it now without a military victory, it will fall on deaf ears, but if you do it after a military victory, it’ll have some importance. So the Union army could claim a military victory by pushing Lee’s army in retreat back into Virginia, and on September 22nd, the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation was released by Lincoln. That’s the significance of this battle.”

Dunleavy thinks the Shepherdstown Battlefield would be better as an addition to Antietam, because he says historically, it makes more sense.

“From a purely Civil War standpoint, it really should be part of the Antietam Battlefield,” he argued, “Not to take anything away from Harpers Ferry, but the fact is, there was an enormous surrender at Harpers Ferry during the Maryland campaign, but there was really no battle that ever happened there.”

While most of the opinions from the public and even the National Park Service seem to be overwhelmingly for Antietam, that’s still up for debate.

The boundary adjustment will be re-evaluated by both the National Park Service and Congress. Dunleavy says it will probably take at least six months or longer before a decision is made.

The comment period will end on Friday, October 3rd.

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