Hey everyone, thanks for tuning in to the 185th episode of our Civil War Podcasts.

I'm Rich. And I'm Tracy. Hello y'all. Welcome to the podcast. We're going to pick back up right where we left off at the end of the last show in the midst of the Battle of South Mountain, which took place on Sunday, September 14th, 1862.

As you guys were recall, fighting has already taken place at Foxes Gap as the Federals in an attempt to outflank Turner's Gap when up the Old Sharpsburg Road and in a fierce 3-hour clash

they managed to defeat the Rebel Defenders at Foxes in the process killing Confederate Brigadier General Samuel Garland.

The Federals who seized Foxes Gap were from Jacob Cox's division of Reno's 9th Corps. After capturing the pass, Cox decided that rather than push on to outflank Turner's Gap just to the North, he would consolidate his gains and wait for reinforcements.

Meanwhile, Confederate reinforcements were arriving on the scene in the form of a couple more of D.H. Hill's brigades which had just marched up the National Road to Turner's Gap from Boonsboro.

He'll had one of those brigades, the one led by Robert Rhodes, deployed to the North of the National Road, while the other, Roswell Ripley's Brigade of Georgians and North Carolinians, he sent South toward Foxes Gap.

As Ripley approached Foxes Gap, he encountered GB Anderson, another of Harvey Hill's brigade commanders. Anderson's men were covering the ground between Foxes Gap and Turner's Gap.

As the two Rebel officers were discussing the situation, Hill came riding up at the head of two more brigades. These new troops were from DR Jones Division from James Longstreet's Command.

Yep, the first of Longstreet's troops had arrived at South Mountain. As you guys will recall, Robert E. Lee and Longstreet had been up at Hagerstown, but on Saturday, Lee had started to receive alarming reports of the Rapid Federal Movement and of enemy troops in camped just on the other side of South Mountain.

When Lee had summoned Longstreet to discuss the situation, Longstreet urged Lee to withdraw D.H. Hill from South Mountain and concentrate Longstreet's and Hill's commands behind Antietam Creek at Sharpsburg some seven or so miles west of South Mountain.

Their Longstreet argued they could form a strong defensive line and would also be on the Federal's flank if McClellan had thoughts of marching South to relieve the siege of Harpers Ferry.

But, having heard out Longstreet, Robert E. Lee had decided to fight for South Mountain. To give up the mountain without a fight would be to give up the back door to Harpers Ferry and therefore put part of the Confederate force besieging that place at grave risk and Lee was unwilling to do that.

Instead, Lee would battle the Yankees at South Mountain with D.H. Hill's and Longstreet's troops, hoping to delay the enemy long enough for Stonewall Jackson to complete the capture of Harpers Ferry.

Even after that, Lee would have to scramble to reunite his divided and vulnerable army. But first things first, the Federal's had to be delayed at South Mountain in order to give Lee the time he needed.

And so late Saturday night, Lee had directed Longstreet to start to move the next morning back to Boonsboro and from there up the mountain to go to the aid of D.H. Hill.

Longstreet had his men on the road about 8 a.m. on Sunday morning. He later remembered how, quote, the day was hot and the roads dry and beaten into impalpable powder that rose in clouds of dust from under our feet as we marched.

Due to the heat and from sheer exhaustion, many of Longstreet's men fell by the wayside, simply unable to keep up.

It wasn't at all after 12 o'clock that the head of Longstreet's column arrived at Boonsboro, having covered the 10 miles from Hagerstown in four hours. The summit of South Mountain was still another two miles to the east.

In his book, the Battle of South Mountain, John David Hopptack writes, quote,

Lee accompanied Longstreet's leading brigade confined to his ambulance wagon, his hands wrapped in splints. As the ambulance creaked toward Boonsboro, Lee could hear the sounds of battle rising from the mountaintop and could see the slopes covered in smoke.

Lee hastened Longstreet's men forward. Knowing that it would have been impossible for the wagon to deliver him to the field of battle and knowing he was unable to do much because of his injured hands, Lee halted his driver near the foot of South Mountain.

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