*COPY* of MC's LOST/STOLEN Civil War Geocoin #05: Antietam

Of course, this geocoin MUST go to the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Maryland and get its picture taken there. Any other Civil War related site or cache would be good too. Just keep it moving, please!

Don't keep this coin - it is not a trade item!

This is a copy of my Antietam geocoin that was stolen. The original coin was sent out to travel, but was immediately stolen. It has been missing for over a year, so I made this copy coin to travel in its place.

This geocoin wants to go anywhere related to the Civil War - but especially to the Antietam National Battlefield. Take it to Civil War battlefields, historic markers, Civil War graveyards, forts, etc. Please try to keep it moving. Post pictures of the geocoin at Civil War sites if you can.
Thanks!

Some interesting information about the Battle of Antietam:
- Also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, it was fought on September 17, 1862.

- Antietam was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil.

- Lee's Army of Northern Virginia (45,000 men) had invaded Maryland following their recent victory at Second Bull Run. McClellan's 87,000-man Army of the Potomac was moving to intercept him.

- Union soldiers discovered a mislaid copy of the detailed battle plans of Lee's army wrapped around three cigars at an abandoned Confederate campsite. The order indicated that Lee had divided his army (to Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, and Hagerstown, Maryland), thus making each piece subject to defeat if McClellan could move quickly enough.

- McClellan kept to his usual pattern of cautious fighting and didn't capitalize on the situation.

- Lee deployed his available forces behind Antietam Creek along a low ridge. On September 15, the force under Lee's command consisted of no more than 18,000 men, only a third of the size of the Federal army.

- The Union army was in place by late in the evening of September 15. Although an immediate Union attack on the morning of September 16 would have had an overwhelming advantage in numbers, McClellan's trademark caution and his belief that Lee had over 100,000 men, caused him to delay his attack for a day. This gave the Confederates more time to prepare defensive positions and allowed Longstreet's corps to arrive from Hagerstown and Stonewall Jackson's corps to arrive from Harpers Ferry.

- The battle progressed the next day as three separate, mostly uncoordinated battles. This lack of coordination and concentration of McClellan's forces almost completely nullified the two-to-one advantage of the Union and allowed Lee to shift his defensive forces to parry each thrust.

Morning: The Cornfield
- It was estimated that the Cornfield changed hands no fewer than 15 times in the course of the morning.

- Sumner recklessly launched a Union attack without adequate reconnaissance. They were assaulted from three sides, and in less than half an hour their momentum was stopped with over 2,200 casualties.

- The morning phase ended with casualties on both sides of almost 13,000, including two Union corps commanders.

Mid-Day: The Sunken Road
- The action shifted to the center of the Confederate line, where the Confederates were entrenched along a sunken road.

- Union forces seized a knoll commanding the sunken road. This allowed them to fire into the Confederate line, turning it into a deadly trap. The Confederates retreated because of a misunderstood command.

- The carnage on the sunken road gave it the name Bloody Lane, leaving about 5,600 casualties (Union 3,000, Confederate 2,600) along the 800-yard road.

- If this broken Confederate line were exploited, Lee's army would have been divided and possibly defeated. There were ample forces available to do so, but McClellan held back.

Afternoon: The Bridge
- The Union forces fought to capture a bridge over Antietem Creek, but didn't press forward further. McClellan held troops in reserve, concerned about a counterstrike by Lee.

Aftermath
- Heavy losses on both sides. Union: 12,401 casualties with 2,108 dead. Confederate: 10,318 with 1,546 dead.

- Antietam was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with almost 23,000 casualties. More Americans died on September 17, 1862, than on any other day in the nation's military history, including World War II's D-Day.

Blue skies and happy caching!
Model Citizen - Zero Discipline