The Battle of South Mountain - Burkittsville MD
Posted by: 
Don.Morfe
N 39° 24.346 W 077° 38.349
18S E 272766 N 4365129
Marker is located at the foot of the War Correspondents Memorial Arch on Gapland Road, Burkittsville MD 21718
Waymark Code: WM18WVB
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 10/11/2023
Views: 1
TEXT ON THE MARKER
The Battle of South Mountain
In September 1862, after the second Battle of Manassas, Gen. Robert E. Lee led his victorious Confederates on their first invasion of the North.
At Frederick, Md. he boldly divided his army. Three columns (No. 1) were to surround and capture the Federal garrison at Harpers Ferry and then reunite with Lee and Longstreet (No. 2) at Boonsboro and Hagerstown and continue north.
Gen. George McClellan’s strong Union army (No. 3) was hot on Lee’s heels, threatening to overrun his divided units. On September 14, Lee was forced to order all available troops around Boonsboro back to defend the passes over South Mountain. Greatly outnumbered, the Confederates desperately held off Union forces until the evening of the 14th, and then withdrew toward Sharpsburg.
On September 15th the Federals poured through the passes, but Lee had gained time to reunite his army.
On the 17th the armies clashed in the bloody Battle of Antietam. The story of the battle is told at Antietam National Battlefield Site, Sharpsburg, Maryland.
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