9 Lower Bridge (Burnside Bridge) The fighting here was a key factor in
McClellan’s failure at Antietam. Called Burnside Bridge after the
Union general whose troops were held off most of the day by a few
hundred Georgia riflemen, it is the battlefield’s best-known
landmark.
10 The Final Attack After taking the Lower Bridge and reforming his
corps, Burnside marched his men across these hills toward
Sharpsburg, threatening to cut off Lee’s line of retreat. Just as
the Federals reached this area, A. P. Hill’s Confederate division
arrived from Harpers Ferry and drove them back.
11 Antietam National Cemetery The remains of 4,776 Federal soldiers,
including 1,836 unknowns, are buried in this hilltop cemetery near
town. Most of the Confederate dead are buried in Hagerstown and
Frederick, Md., Shepherdstown, W. Va., and in local church and
family cemeteries.
The battle of Antietam, fought over an area of 12 square miles,
consisted of the three basic phases—morning, midday, and
afternoon—shown on the maps at right. During the morning phase,
three piecemeal Union attacks drove back Jackson’s line, but did
not break it. The midday phase saw two Union divisions break D. H.
Hill’s line in the sunken road, but McClellan’s failure to follow
it up lost him the advantage that had been gained. In the
afternoon phase, Burnside’s slow pincer movement beyond the lower
bridge was broken by A. P. Hill’s timely arrival.
[Illustration: Morning Phase]
[Illustration: Midday Phase]
[Illustration: Afternoon Phase]