Hoosier Dusty Files - September 17, 1862 - “Bloodiest day of the Civil War” 27th Indiana Regiment Engaged

A Year of Indiana History - 2016
A Year of Indiana History - 2016

September 17, 1862 - “Bloodiest day of the Civil War” 27th Indiana Regiment Engaged
The 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 12th Army Corps of the 27th Indiana Regiment engaged Confederate troops in a cornfield near East Woods at Antietam.
27th Indiana Regiment
The 27th Indiana Regiment organized at Indianapolis in August 1861, mustered in on September 12 and departed Indiana for Banks' Army of the Shenandoah in October. The Regiment participated in the pursuit of Stonewall Jackson's army as it moved through the Shenandoah Valley. It fought at the Front Royal and Winchester. At the Battle of Winchester, the Regiment held back a vastly superior Confederate force. It was later engaged at Antietam and took part in Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. It lost heavily in both of these battles. It moved to Georgia, taking part in the Battle of Resaca, defeating the 32nd and 38th Alabama, inflicting heavy damage on the Confederate troops and capturing the battle flag. The regiment moved with General William Tecumseh Sherman during his march to Atlanta, occupying the city at the end of the campaign. The regiment mustered out on November 4, 1864. Veterans of the regiment joined the 70th regiment, where they served until that regiment mustered out in Louisville, Kentucky on July 21, 1865.
Antietam “Bloodiest day of the Civil War"
Forces under General Robert E. Lee had entered Maryland after the July 1862 Second Bull Run at Manassas Creek in Virginian. His intent was to take the war to Union soil, as all major battles before had been in Confederate territory. Union General George McClellan troops moved into pursuit, engaging Lee's forces near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle would be the first on Union soil and was the bloodiest, most vicious, fight of the Civil War. Union forces attacked, sweeping through Miller’s Cornfield and the West Wood. Counterattacking Confederates almost swept the Union forces from the field. Union General A.P. Hill arrived with his division in time to halt the Confederate advance and save the Union from disaster. The battle ended as a draw. The savage combat resulted in over 23,000 men killed, wounded and missing on both sides. Abraham Lincoln used the "victory" as justification to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in February 1863.
27th Indiana Regiment at Antietam
The 27th Regiment had been protecting McClellan's headquarters, the Pryor House. In the darkness of night, the regiment moved north to back up General Joseph Hooker's forces. Hooker's troops launched the initial attack at dawn through Miller’s Cornfield. The soldiers of the 27th held the reserve position, drinking coffee, eating their "soldier's luncheon" of crackers and pork. They could hear the thunderous sounds of battle and see the wounded Union soldiers begin to move past them as they retreated to the rear. Soldiers waited, the fear of battle making  some unable to eat. Many entrusted letters to kin and other keepsakes to members of the ambulance corps. A nervous, silent fear pervaded the regiment. Hooker's forces advanced and then were beaten back. Soldiers, both Union and Confederate, fell in droves. Their corps commander, General Joseph K. Mansfield received orders to join the fight. Mansfield called his troops together and the 27th Indiana sprang into action. They reached the cornfield after advancing through East Woods, hearing the treetops singing with the sound of rifle shot. The firefight began, with the Indiana troops unable to see the Confederates as they hid in the cornfield. A two-hour fight ensued with heavy casualties on both sides. Finally, Confederate Gen. John Bell Hood withdrew, considering his division as "dead on the field." At dusk the battle ended and Lee withdrew across the Potomac River, back into Virginia.
The National Park Service battlefield marker for the 27th Indiana is at this link.

Antietam Battlefield
P.O. Box 158
Sharpsburg, MD 21782
(301) 432-5124

It is fun to experience Indiana's rich history. The easy to read “this day in history format” of the Hoosier Dusty Files makes it easy for readers to learn the history of the Hoosier state The author has excerpted articles his "A Year in Indiana History" book. . Visitors may read the articles as they appear or purchase the book:
A Year of Indiana History - 2016
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