Hey everyone, welcome to episode number 188 of our Civil War podcast.

My name is Rich.

And I'm Tracy.

Hello y'all.

Thanks for tuning into the podcast.

With the last episode, we worked at setting the stage for the Battle of Antietem by talking

about what all happened on Monday, September 15th, 1862 in the aftermath of the fighting

for South Mountain.

Yep.

As you guys were recall, we said that Harper's Ferry finally surrendered to Stunwall Jackson

on the 15th.

And so Robert E. Lee decided that in order to try to salvage something of his campaign

after all, he'd make a stand at Sharpsburg with the forces he had on hand and wait there

for Stunwall to come up and join him in James Longstreet and D.H. Hill there.

Meanwhile the Union Army, most of it, was advancing from South Mountain toward Sharpsburg

where it ran into the new Confederate defensive position behind Antietem Creek.

As y'all recall, we said George McClellan was thrown for a bit of a loot by this development.

Since he hadn't expected to have to do anything more on Monday than shepherd the supposedly

defeated rebels back across the Potomac as they retreated in panic from northern soil.

Yeah, by all logic, in little max mind, he should be seeing merely a rebel rearguard across

the way left behind to protect the main body of Confederate troops as it hurried to get

across the Potomac.

...