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Steve Eden provides a meticulous tactical analysis of the opening, brutal hours of the Civil War’s bloodiest single day. Set within the broader Maryland Campaign, this groundbreaking work plunges readers into the chaos of September 17, 1862. It reveals a Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, under Robert E. Lee, in grave peril. With nearly half his forces exhausted and straggling, Lee confronted George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac—a Union force poised for a decisive victory that famously slipped from its grasp.
Crisis at Antietam: The Cornfield and West Woods and the Opening Rounds of the Civil War’s Bloodiest Battle, September 17, 1862 intensely focuses on operations on the Confederate left, uncovering critical missed opportunities, profound command failures, and the unpredictable hand of sheer chance. As fighting raged through the Miller Cornfield and West Woods, it quickly spiraled beyond command control. Officers often failed to restore order amid the maelstrom; regiments and brigades acted independently, pushing forward without orders or full awareness of the battle’s unfolding horror. Three times, Union forces drove the Confederate front to the precipice of collapse, only for the Rebels to miraculously rally, stabilizing their fragile lines against overwhelming odds.
Drawing on extensive original sources—including memoirs, official reports, and soldier letters—and his own invaluable combat experience as a retired Army officer and former West Point military history instructor, Steve Eden offers fresh, authoritative insights. His work challenges even seasoned readers to fundamentally reconsider the traditional narrative of that pivotal, bloody September day, exposing the raw, brutal reality of command and combat at Antietam.
Steven Eden is a retired Army officer and veteran of Afghanistan. He taught history at West Point and is the author of two books, including Military Blunders: Wartime Fiascoes from the Roman Age Through World War I, and numerous magazine articles for professional and historical journals. He specialized in conducting battlefield staff rides for military organizations in Europe and the United States, including Antietam, while an instructor at Fort Meade, Maryland. He currently resides not far from the battlefield in Manchester, Maryland, with his wife Kathleen.
