Heels on the Battlefield: Battle of Antietam: Burnside Bridge – A Family Divided

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It’s a draw men!  😉

On this day, 158 years ago, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia were in Maryland.  It was Lee’s first foray into Northern territory after an impressive Confederate victory at the Second Battle of Manassas just a month before.  Riding on that high, Lee felt it was a “propitious time” to move the war north.  He needed fresh supplies for his troops and of course, there was politics to consider.  Another win and France and the UK (in need of Southern cotton) could finally be swayed to support the Confederacy.  Closer to home, the November elections were looming and Lee knew support for Lincoln’s war was waning. Spoiling Northern morale could flip Congress to the South’s advantage.  So much was at stake!

General Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia from 1862 to the South’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865.

Lee’s Maryland campaign, which began on September 4, remained mostly unmolested until a lost copy of his military plans, known as Special Order 191, was discovered by a Union soldier on September 13.  Union General George B. McClellan and his Army of the Potomac seized on the intelligence and intercepted Lee’s advancements.  The two armies converged on the sleepy town of Sharpsburg, MD and the Battle of Antietam would become the bloodiest-single day battle in American history with approximately 23,000 men dead, wounded, or missing. 

“Little Mac” as he was affectionately known to his men had a difficult relationship with Lincoln. Lincoln found him too cautious and felt McClellan missed opportunities to defeat the Confederate Army. Lincoln referred to the Union Army as “McClellan’s bodyguard.” He was replaced by Ambrose Burnside after the Battle of Antietam.

The Antietam Battlefield holds a special place in my heart.  When my interest in the Civil War began in 2011 during the Sesquicentennial (2011-2015), the Antietam Battlefield was the first battlefield I visited.  Being a novice to Civil War history at that time, I appreciated the simplicity of this battlefield.  It was easy to understand and imagine because fighting broke out in three phases and in three specific locations over a 12-hour period.  Kudos to the National Park Service (NPS) for preserving the grounds so assiduously. 

I’ve been back to the Antietam Battlefield many times since and with every visit I have had a unique encounter and/or discover something new.  My last visit was for a photo shoot on Labor Day.  Dad and I started at the Visitor Center as we always do, but due to the pandemic, the Visitor Center was closed.  Instead, there was an outdoor ranger station and Dad spoke to the ranger for a few minutes and grabbed a map of the battlefield. 

While he was away, I scanned the expanse and recalled the first phase of the battle happening cattycorner from where I was, at Dunker Church and nearby Miller’s Cornfield.  Just before sunrise, Union General Joseph Hooker’s divisions initiated the assault on Confederate General Stonewall Jackson’s left flank.  For several hours, the two armies clashed resulting in gruesome casualties on both sides. 

When Dad got back, we drove to the Sunken Road (aka Bloody Lane) where the second phase of the battle occurred and where we found some shade for my first photo shoot of the afternoon.  The Union Army had better luck here when after about 4 hours of heavy fighting, they finally pierced the Confederate center.  However, McClellan, being overly cautious, did not exploit this breakthrough.  Rather, he declared, “It would not be prudent to make the attack.”  

Dad and I finished the shoot by mid-afternoon and after a wardrobe change, we drove to Burnside Bridge, the location of the final phase of the battle and the location of my final photo shoot of the day.  This is my favorite part of the battlefield.  The scene is so serene.  I love to stroll on the bridge and take in the beauty of nature that surrounds it.  It’s so hard for me to imagine the carnage that occurred here!  So much loss and so much tragedy for so many families on both sides.

 

This is such a beautiful bridge! The right side with the ascending paved path was the Confederate position. The left side was the Union position.

Burnside Bridge was named after Ambrose Burnside. “Sideburns” is derived from his last name for obvious reasons. 😉

For sisters Rebecca and Eva Taylor, it was a double catastrophe.  Their husbands, David Rumph Jones and Henry W. Kingsbury, respectively, fought on opposite sides.  Confederate General Jones was charged with defending the bridge while his brother-in-law, Union Colonel Kingsbury led the 11th Connecticut Infantry in the first assault on Burnside Bridge.

Jones was tall and known as “Neighbor” Jones for his pleasant disposition. He was the class of 1846 at West Point which included notable classmates, Stonewall Jackson, George McClellan, George Pickett, and A.P. Hill. He married Rebecca Taylor, daughter of Joseph Pannell Taylor, younger brother of 12th President, Zachary Taylor. Some believe he was the Confederate officer who lowered the US flag at Fort Sumter after Union forces occupying it surrendered. Check out my post here

Kingsbury was young, intelligent, and honorable. He had so much potential. He married Rebecca’s sister, Eva. He and his brother-in-law were the best of friends.

It was a suicide mission for Kingsbury and his 11th Connecticut.  As they rushed towards the bridge, 500 Georgians engaged them with devastating accuracy.  Kingsbury was shot three times and a final fourth bullet struck him fatally in the abdomen.  He was taken to a field hospital and as he lay dying, he remained more concerned about his men than himself.  In severe pain, Kingsbury lingered in and out of consciousness.  He died a day later.  Kingsbury was only 25 years old and was awaiting the birth of his son in December.

Jones learned about the fate of his brother-in-law while questioning 11th Connecticut captives.  Gutted by this shocking news, guilt consumed him for being the one who had ordered the 500 Georgians to protect Burnside Bridge.  In many ways, Jones felt responsible for the death of his best friend and the despair he felt amplified over time.  Already suffering from a heart condition, the added stress led to a fatal heart attack in Richmond, four months after the battle.  Jones was only 37 years old.         

Those heroic 500 Georgians tasked with guarding Burnside Bridge successfully repulsed about 14,000 Union soldiers for several hours, but they began succumbing to exhaustion and they were running low on ammunition.  The Union now had an opportunity to capture the bridge and advance against the Confederate’s right flank. 

Union General Edward Ferrero ordered his 51st New York Volunteer Infantry and 51st Pennsylvania Infantry, known as the Twin 51sts, to lead the final assault.  Noting the difficult challenge before them, the men requested whiskey rations as motivation.  Ferrero obliged promising to get them whiskey if they could carry their positions and they did.  The Union finally seized Burnside Bridge and the Confederates had no recourse, but to retreat. 

 

Ferrero was a hero at this battle, but incompetent at the Battle of the Crater. He hid in a bunker, inebriated, and with a bottle of rum. Read about it here

The battle ended when Confederate General A.P. Hill arrived with reinforcements ending Burnside’s advance.  The outcome was a tactical draw.  McClellan never followed up on Union breakthroughs and he never pursued Lee and his army during their withdrawal back to Virginia.  The Civil War would rage on for another 2.5 years.    

This last visit was a new discovery for me about Jones and Kingsbury.  I never knew their story!  There’s not a lot of info out there about them, but this site  has a longer, more detailed write up if you’re interested.  I also wrote a post about the Battle of Antietam here.  It’s a high level summary of the battle with pictures.  And if you’re interested in the paranormal, check out my post about my encounter with the Iron Brigade at Antietam National Cemetery here.  It’s a fascinating read.

Hope enjoyed this post!  Lizzy’s Latest is featuring Daya by Zendaya Ansley fringe pointy toe pumps.  I bought the heels years ago and am finally showing them off now.  I love the fringe!  This photo shoot at Burnside Bridge was taken in the fall of 2018.  I remember the weather being crisp that day.  The heels in the photo shoots from my last visit here will post either later this year or next year.      

Lizzy’s Latest annual Top 5 Fall Favorites normally posts on the first day of fall, but will be delayed about a week or so to give this post a bit of time in the spotlight.  In the meantime, enjoy the pictures! 

Have a great rest of your week and a safe weekend!  It’s starting to feel like fall around here.  😊

Style with a Smile!

XoXo,

Lizzy 

This is the view from the Confederate side looking across to the Union side.

This sign is on the Confederate right side of the bridge.

On the Union side, the tree on the right is referred to as the Burnside Sycamore. It is a witness a tree, still standing after more than 150 years.

Another view of the Burnside Sycamore from the Union side.

The Burnside Sycamore captured a few days after battle by photographer, Alexander Gardner. Amazing shot!

The stone wall in front of you was a makeshift grave site. Men who died in the assault of the bridge were buried along this wall. Planks ripped from Burnside Bridge were used as headstones. The remains have since been reinterred.  

The sign above points this way to where the rest of the Georgians were. No, I’ve never been down this path yet. If you’ve been following my blog, you know I’m not very outdoorsy. I’m getting better, but no way would I want to walk into those woods. 😉

We had a convo with this woman, but since it was back in 2018, I don’t remember what we talked about. I do remember offering to take some pics of her and her dogs and she was happy to pose. 🙂