The Maryland Campaign of
1862
Following his victory at Second
Manassas, Gen. Robert E. Lee invaded the Union for the first time during the war. Many in
the North were already claiming that the war was a failure. Lee hoped that another
Confederate victory, this time on Union soil, would force the North to sue for a
negotiated peace and thus win independence for the South. Such a victory might also
persuade Great Britain and France to grant diplomatic recognition and, with it, much
needed military aid and supplies. One successful victory on Northern soil would do more
for Southern Independence than a succession of victories in the south.
Lee's successes had been met with Confederate gains in other areas. In Tennessee, the
Confederate Cavalry under the commands of Col. Nathan Bedford Forrest and Col. John H.
Morgan successfully wreaked havoc on Union supply lines. Gen. Kirby Smith won a victory at
Richmond, Kentucky, and seemed ready to occupy Frankfort. Gen. Braxton Bragg's troops
threatened Ohio. The city of Cincinnati was under martial law. For the first time in the
North people actually questioned whether or not the Union could survive.
The Battle of Gettysburg has traditionally been referred to as the "High water
mark of the Confederacy." Although it certainly was the high water mark of the Army
of Northern Virginia, the late summer of 1862 better fits the metaphor for the Confederacy
as a whole. The Confederate States of America seemed to be on the verge of achieving
independence. At no other time in the war would conditions be as favorable for achieving
that independence and at no other time in its short history would the Confederacy instill
so much fear in the North, with armies advancing victoriously in both the east and the
west.
Invasion of the North might also relieve Virginia of the burden of feeding Lee's army.
Across the Potomac River lay the untouched fields of Maryland. Many Southerners considered
Maryland a sister state whose citizens might be persuaded to side with the Confederacy.
With a Confederate Maryland, the Union capital would be completely surrounded by
Confederate territory. In September 1862 Lee tested the true sentiments of the citizens of
Maryland.
On Thursday, September 4, 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac River
and began the Maryland Campaign of 1862. Gen. Lee planned on using Maryland as a stepping
stone to Pennsylvania where he hoped to draw the Union Army and fight the decisive battle
on ground of his choosing. Lee intended to use the Shenandoah Valley as his line of
communication and supply during the campaign. Controlling the northern terminus of the
valley, however, was a Union garrison at Harpers Ferry, the "fly in the
ointment" of Lee's plans. Lee could not allow the garrison to threaten his supply
line. He decided to capture Harpers Ferry. This decision, and the method of accomplishing
it, affected the whole campaign.
Ultimately Lee divided his army into five parts. Gen. "Stonewall" Jackson
took three of those parts to invest Harpers Ferry. Gen. James Longstreet led another part
to Hagerstown to guard against a rumored movement of Union troops from Pennsylvania. The
last part, about 5,000 men under the command of Gen. Daniel Harvey Hill, was to guard the
reserve artillery and wagon train at Boonsboro, Maryland. In addition to guarding the
reserves Gen. Hill was ordered to keep a watch for escaping Federals from Harpers Ferry.
Gen. D.H. Hill had no orders for fighting a battle in the gaps of South Mountain.
The Federal Response
Following the Union defeat at Second Manassas, President Abraham Lincoln restored Gen.
George B. McClellan to command of the Army of the Potomac. On September 7, McClellan moved
his army out of Washington. McClellan's first objective was to provide a defense of the
Union capital. McClellan's next goal in the early days of the Maryland Campaign was to
determine the position of the Confederate Army. With this in mind, McClellan moved the
Army of the Potomac cautiously toward the town of Frederick, Maryland.
Until September 13, everything went according to Gen. Lee's plan. It was only after the
Federals reached Frederick on that day that things began to unravel. While encamped at
Frederick a copy of Lee's Special Order No. 191, was inadvertently left behind and fell
into McClellan's hands. The famous "Lost Order" revealed Lee's campaign plans
and the disposition of his troops, providing his adversary with a rare opportunity.
Armed with the special knowledge of the lost order, McClellan moved his troops toward
South Mountain in an attempt to intercept Lee's army and "...beat him in
detail." McClellan moved faster than Lee anticipated. The Southern army was on the
other side of the mountain and spread thin some twenty miles from Hagerstown to Harpers
Ferry. On Sunday, September 14, the vanguard of McClellan's army reached the foot of South
Mountain. The first major Civil War battle in the Free State began that morning. To
destroy Lee's army piecemeal, and dash all hopes for Southern independence, McClellan had
only to cross South Mountain before Lee's scattered forces could reunite.
Aftermath
By nightfall on September 14, 1862, the Maryland Campaign was over for Gen. Robert E.
Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia. For one long day approximately 38,000 Federal
troops had unexpectedly assaulted the three gaps along South Mountain, forcing the
withdrawal of its 12,000 Confederate defenders. Lee had been caught off guard and his
plans for continuing into Pennsylvania were irretrievably smashed. In this respect it was
an important Union victory.
Although the
