Near Sharpsburg in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Advance Was Made With the Utmost Enthusiasm
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 19, 2009
1. The Advance Was Made With the Utmost Enthusiasm Marker
Gen. Jacob Cox, Union Ninth Corps
After finally driving the Confederates from the bluffs overlooking the Lower Bridge, close to 10,000 Federal troops crossed Antietam Creek and formed on the ridge 300 yards to the east (behind you). At approximately 3:00 p.m., a mile-wide battle line of Union soldiers swept forward across the extremely rugged terrain. About 2,500 Confederate soldiers and forty cannon awaited their advance.
Burnside's men moved through a withering fire of artillery and infantry, surging to the high ridge to the west (in front of you). At about 4:00 p.m., the last of Lee's Confederate reinforcements arrived on the field (from your left). Although exhausted and footsore after marching seventeen miles from Harpers Ferry, Gen. A.P. Hill's Confederate soldiers slammed into the exposed Union left flank and drove them back. As darkness fell, the battlefield finally grew quiet. One soldier in the Ninth Corps remembered, "The conflict died away, the enemy also had got all the fighting they wanted for the day. It had been an afternoon in the valley of death."
Erected 2009 by Antietam National Battlefield - National Park Service - Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil.
Location.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Brown’s (Wise), Virginia Battery (here, next to this marker); The Fate of the Army (here, next to this marker); “It Is A.P. Hill” (here, next to this marker); “Forever Free” (a few steps from this marker); Ninth Army Corps (a few steps from this marker); a different marker also named Ninth Army Corps (a few steps from this marker); D.R. Jones' Division, Longstreet's Command (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named D.R. Jones' Division, Longstreet's Command (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sharpsburg.
More about this marker. The background of the marker is a painting depicting The 9th New York, Hawkin's Zouaves, reached the outskirts of Sharpsburg before being driven back by A.P. Hill's Confederates.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker replaced an older one at this location, named "Forever Free," and was oriented
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 19, 2009
2. Waysides at the Final Attack Stop
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 19, 2015
3. The Advance Was Made With the Utmost Enthusiasm Marker (Left)
Photographed By Craig Swain, September 17, 2009
4. Federal Advance
Looking from the National Cemetery toward the south. The 9th New York monument stands on clear ground on the hill to the distant right. Federals advanced up the slopes, from the left, toward the location of the monument before being driven back by A.P. Hill's flanking attack.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 22, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,099 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 22, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 3. submitted on October 4, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina. 4. submitted on September 22, 2009, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
