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Near Sharpsburg in Washington County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Doubleday's Division, First Army Corps

 
 
Doubleday's Division Tablet image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, February 9, 2008
1. Doubleday's Division Tablet
Inscription.
U.S.A.
Doubleday's Division, First Army Corps.

Brigadier Gen. Abner Doubleday, Commanding.
(September 17, 1862.)

Doubleday's Division moved from its bivouac on the Joseph Poffenberger Farm, north of this, at 5/30 a.m. on the 17th, in the following order: Gibbon's Brigade in advance, supported by Phelps' and Patrick's Brigades; Hoffman's Brigade was held in reserve. The three brigades advanced with their right resting on the Hagerstown Pike, until Gibbon reached this point - Phelps 25 yards in his rear and Patrick following Phelps - when his right flank was fired by the Confederate skirmishers posted behind the rocky ledge 106 yards west of and nearly parallel to the Pike. The Division was then deployed, Gibbon with two regiments on either side of the Pike, with Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery, in his right rear; Phelps moved up on Gibbon's left, and Patrick crossed to the west of the Pike and supported Gibbon's right and the battery. The three brigades became heavily engaged, advancing south of this point in the direction of the Dunkard Church and after more than an hour's obstinate contest, with varying success, were withdrawn to the fields north of D.R. Miller's and, subsequently, to the cover of the high ground beyond Joseph Poffenberger's.
 
Erected by Antietam
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Battlefield Board. (Marker Number 3.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Antietam Campaign War Department Markers series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 17, 1862.
 
Location. 39° 28.917′ N, 77° 44.924′ W. Marker is near Sharpsburg, Maryland, in Washington County. Marker is at the intersection of Dunker Church Road / Old Hagerstown Pike and Cornfield Avenue, on the right when traveling north on Dunker Church Road / Old Hagerstown Pike. Located in a tablet cluster just north of the Indiana State Monument. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Sharpsburg MD 21782, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 10 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Twelfth Army Corps (here, next to this marker); Battery B, 4th United States Artillery (a few steps from this marker); Battery B, 4th U.S. Artillery (within shouting distance of this marker); First Army Corps (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Doubleday's Division, First Army Corps (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Twelfth Army Corps (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); 13th New Jersey Infantry (about 300 feet away); a different marker
Doubleday's Division, First Army Corps Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 19, 2015
2. Doubleday's Division, First Army Corps Marker
also named First Army Corps (about 300 feet away); Indiana State Monument (about 400 feet away); 124th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sharpsburg.
 
Regarding Doubleday's Division, First Army Corps. Tablets 2 and 3 are near duplicates with only slight differences in the text. Both have the same title.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Virtual tour of the Hagerstown Pike by markers.
 
Also see . . .
1. Antietam Battlefield. National Park Service site. (Submitted on March 10, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.) 

2. 1st Division, I Corps. Brig. Gen. Rufus King originally commanded the division at the start of the Antietam Campaign but was relieved of command based on incidents surrounding the Second Battle of Manassas. Brig. Gen. John P. Hatch replaced King, but was wounded at the Battle of South Mountain (and his actions there earned him the Medal of Honor). Doubleday the assumed command and lead the division through the Battle of Antietam. (Submitted on March 10, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Tablet Cluster On Old Hagerstown Pike North of Cornfield Avenue image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, February 9, 2008
3. Tablet Cluster On Old Hagerstown Pike North of Cornfield Avenue
Tablets 3 and 20 flank a stand for a missing tablet.
 

3. Abner Doubleday. Abner Doubleday (June 26, 1819 – January 26, 1893) was a career United States Army officer and Union general in the American Civil War. He fired the first shot in defense of Fort Sumter, the opening battle of the war, and had a pivotal role in the early fighting at the Battle of Gettysburg. (Submitted on October 25, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.) 
 
Additional commentary.
1. Original Location?
In Battle of Antietam: The Official History of the Antietam Battlefield Board, by George R. Lange and Joe A. Swisher, the tablet location is indicated at a point further north on the Old Hagerstown Pike, closer to the D.R. Miller house.
    — Submitted March 10, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.
 
Doubleday's Division, First Army Corps Marker (Left) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott, September 19, 2015
4. Doubleday's Division, First Army Corps Marker (Left)
Major General Abner Doubleday (1819-1893) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Brian Scott
5. Major General Abner Doubleday (1819-1893)
At Antietam, he led his men into the deadly fighting in the Cornfield and the West Woods, and one colonel described him as a "gallant officer ... remarkably cool and at the very front of battle." He was wounded when an artillery shell exploded near his horse, throwing him to the ground in a violent fall.
Doubleday's Division Line of Advance image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Craig Swain, February 9, 2008
6. Doubleday's Division Line of Advance
Advancing from a bivouac area near where the old trace of the Hagerstown Pike (modern Dunker Church Road) meets the modern Highway 65, Doubleday's Division advanced through the D.R. Miller farm before reaching the cornfield. The brigades advanced in a column to the east of the Pike. Gibbon's brigade was lead, with Phelps and Patrick's following.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on September 29, 2017. It was originally submitted on March 10, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,023 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on March 10, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.   2. submitted on October 25, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   3. submitted on March 10, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.   4, 5. submitted on October 25, 2015, by Brian Scott of Anderson, South Carolina.   6. submitted on March 10, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

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Mar. 28, 2024