An introduction for an introduction. And first off, ill say that i serve as the executive director for civil trials. And it is an honor because i have the chance work for all of you. Its its absolutely. The program grows at the grassroots. So its individuals like all of you who may have an idea know of a spot in your backyard. You want to have it marked and marketed the world. And you come to us. So its your stories that we get to tell. And its truly honor. I would also be remiss if i didnt say that i came to history at a young age and there are few scholars who i can point to who helped get there. And the gentleman i have the honor to introduce is one of those. Oftentimes, you often you listen to a biography, you think to yourself, i know who that is. You dont necessarily have to have a biography list behind him, but this one is definitely worth noting. Scott, as a 34 year veteran of the National Park service, served as gettysburg supervisor historian for 20 years. He won the National Service regional Freeman Tilden award and excellence of interpretation in 1993 and was fundamental in the growth of gettysburg on site interpretation and living history program. Even if it was the 11th site on barts list, ten that growth also included the distance and satellite educational efforts. The key player for the design of all aspects of the new Gettysburg Museum and visitor center, and he retired from the park service in january 2014. But as we often that when you retire, you stay busy. Scott has authored numerous articles, essays and books on civil war subjects, has appeared on the history channel, discovery channel, cable network, cspan think theyre in the house tonight. His most recent publication is to antietam, the Maryland Campaign from. September three to december 16th, an 800 page indepth study of the campaign up to the eve of the battle, antietam, published in september 2012 by john hopkins. Hes currently working on the sequel, which will cover the battle of antietam and, its aftermath and the end of the campaign. Please join me in welcoming scott hardwick. I can tell you, drew, if you have to drive, around Northern Virginia in your job, my hat goes off to you because. Yeah, you know what im talking about. And bert and bert. Bert worked me. I clearly failed. Know, i, i got to tell you, when i came in here and i heard bert, you know, he had lost the top ten with this crowd, i was like, oh, my god, this is going to be, you know, you cant win in the top ten, you just you cannot because everybody has their own argument and thing. And i think bert did a great job. So i have no problem with gettysburg being 11 or nine or eight, i dont care where you put it we all our own opinions on these sorts of things. Now tonight, in my part of this, were going to talk about the Antietam Campaign and the prussian military theorist carl von claus vets once said that war politics by other means, we might say extreme means. And the maryland of 1862 or the Antietam Campaign, you could really almost pick any campaign of the war. But this campaign in particular is infused with not just on one side, on both sides. So tonight, what i intend to do is look at this campaign and talk about five topics associated with the campaign because for me to try to go through the whole campaign, thats a seminar. Thats not a talk. Were going to talk about. And the Maryland Campaign, why did lee invade maryland . The armies of, the campaign, understanding strengths and weaknesses of the army can help you better understand how this campaign evolves the way it does and turns out the way it does . Mcclellan and special orders. 191 this is the famous lost orders. Robert lees orders to his armies that are discovered and mcclellan is given those orders. Well talk that and why lee offer battle at sharpsburg. It was a very controversial by robert e lee. All right. The war and slavery. Now, one of the myths from the civil war, and we know the civil war is famous for all of its myths. But one of the myths of the civil war is that emancipation played no role until september 1862, when lincoln issued the preliminary emancipation proclamation that is not true from the beginning of the war the Republican Party and lincoln were out for slavery. They were they didnt want the border states, missouri, kentucky, maryland were slaves as well. They could not afford to let those states go into the confederacy. They had be very careful how they proceeded. However, the attack on slavery very, very early in the war, remember the confiscation acts . I know these things seem to can be kind of boring, but theyre connected to the war. August of 1861 the first confiscation act says slaves that come within union lines or free emancipated. One of the biggest emancipator of the union army in the spring of 1862 was george v mcclellan. He didnt like this he didnt like this policy, but he abated as the soldier because civil government made the and he obeyed the policy. So slaves who came within the lines when they were on the virginia peninsula were free. Now they congress is going to up the ante a little more because as the wars to go on and the border states are being very difficult to work with for lincoln, hes trying to give them a plan of compensated emancipation. Theyre not interested and compensated emancipation. They want to hold on to slavery and south. The confederacy is fighting very hard. I mean, big battles there. Theyre determined to win their independence. So theyre there. Theyre going to up the ante on the attack. And theres also some complications for in the field who are running into slaves. Is this a loyal master or is this a disloyal master . I dont know what im supposed to with these slaves that have just come within my lines. All right. Were going to make it a little bit more simple for if it is state that is seceded and the slaves come within lines, theyre free, theyre emancipated, you do not them to the owners. Not only do you not return them, you will be court martialed. If you do. It is illegal to return slaves to their owners. Thats the second confiscation act. Theres thing in the second confiscation act. It it calls for the president , the United States, to issue a proclamation declaring all slaves the states in rebellion to be free. Now we all think lincoln kind of came up with this idea, im going up the ante. Im going to issue this emancipation proclamation and im going to change the war. Actually, the Republican Congress calls for him to do this. This is very common for congress to do this. Theres a great by james oakes called Freedom National that lays out this discussion the destruction of slavery in more detail that i encourage you to read because it gives it gives you a much better idea about the attack upon slavery and lincolns role in this. So. Is on board with this he wants this second confiscation act wants to issue an emancipation hes to go down to Harrisons Landing. Yes i know everybodys out there. Hartwig that picture is not from Harrisons Landing. That is from antietam. I know, but its lincoln and mcclellan. And there wasnt any pictures taken in landing. So he goes to Harrisons Landing early. Mcclellan has been defeated in the seven days battles, and he is going to sit down, meet with mcclellan. And when hes there, mcclellan is going to hand him letter called the harrisons bar. And mcclellan gets bashed for this letter like. Hes way out of line. I dont think mcclellans out of line at all. Hes the commander of one of the largest field armies, the union. He has a right to express to the president the United States what i think about policy and what he tells the president is that a declaration of radical views, especially upon slavery, will rapidly disintegrate our armies. But that is a pretty shot across the bow. I hear whats going on in congress debating the second confiscation act. Dont do something radical here. Thats not a good idea. Now, part of mcclellan is a conservative, but the other thing that mcclellan is probably at is anything that he sees as radical might make the other side even harder. So hes opposed to anything like that, he still has the concept that theres a lot of southerners who are unionists at heart. We can win them over if we dont go to radical. Well the president has decided that hes going to fight the war with one hand behind his back any longer. So he listens to mcclellan, he reads his letter. And then on july 22nd, five days after the second confiscation act is passed, lincoln sits down with his cabinet, reads them in emancipation proclamation, and they tell boss, not a good time. We lost independence, soldier, the wars not going well. This could look like, you know, an act of desperation, and it might backfire. We need a victory. We need a military victory for political event to occur. So they hope that that victory is going to occur in Northern Virginia, under the command, general john poe, hes commanding the army of virginia. And lincoln essentially gives him, the army of the potomac. They never relieve mcclellan of command. They detach the entire and send it to poe. And pope, we know gets defeated soundly defeated at the second battle of manassas. And a union army retreats into the fortifications of washington in tremendous disorder. The troops are disorganized. Theyre theyre really discouraged, and they are furious at pope popes time. You cant have a pope anymore. So lincoln comes to a very decision. He calls Cabinet Meeting on september the second and he tells his cabinet that he is placing George Mcclellan in command of all the forces within, the fortifications. Hes very specific about. He is not the commander of the troops that will put in the field commander of in the fortification, because we havent decided what were going to with mcclellan yet. Now gideon wells, who you see in the lower, says there was a more disturbed and despond ing feeling than i have ever witnessed in counsel. One of them who was despondent, Edwin Stanton to the left the secretary of war. He was with rage. He despised mcclellan much someone allegedly said that he would favored the capture of washington to the return of mcclellan to command whether he really said that or not. I dont know. But he hated him. So theres theres a theyre not happy with lincolns decision. We thought we were going to get rid of mcclellan, but things are going to get even worse because it appears that the Confederate Army may possibly move into and order sent to mcclellan on september the third, saying there is every possibility that the enemy, baffled in his intended capture of, washington, will cross the potomac and make a raid into maryland or pennsylvania. A movable army must be immediately to meet him again in the field. Whos going to command that movable . They dont say they havent picked them. On september the fifth, lincoln will visit Ambrose Burnside and burnside command of the army and burnside will tell the he believes George Mcclellan is the best to command this army. Now mcclellan will stab him in the back on in this campaign, but i dont think mcclellan even knew that burnside done that. So lincolns kind of over a barrel. He doesnt really have any choice. And on september the seventh, hes going to visit mcclellan at his house, which was also his headquarters in washington. And he tells him general, you take command of the army in the field, verbal command. Now, if you read mcclellan after the war, he tells you that he command without any authority, that no had the courage to put him back in command. So he just kind of took command. Now, im telling you, im not a mcclellan but theres not a chance on this earth that he did that he had never been relieved of command, ever. The army just took his army away from him. All he needed was a verbal you are back in command of the field army. Thats all he needed. So theres no question in my mind that lincoln did that lincoln places him in command of the army despite fact that these two men may have a little bit of a history. And most of its one sided lincoln work with almost anybody mcclellan cant work with hardly anybody. He has problems throughout his entire life with superiors always we can see some of the things he had to say about the president. An idiot. August 16th, 1861. Hes nothing more than a wellmeaning baboon. October. 1861 i went to tea to the house shortly after tea where i found original gorilla. November 1861. And then theres the spear. The other guys gideon wells is, weaker than the most garrulous old woman, were ever annoyed by. He has funny. Secretary of state. Seward was a meddling officious little puppy. Now hes writing these things to his wife in private. But believe me, you know, when someone feels certain way about you, you can pick that up. And people have that up about mcclelland. But lincoln looks past this and he places mcclellan as the best man and hes got the Commanding Army thats going to take the field against robert lee who has invaded. Now, whats his mission . Protect washington, d. C. Do let them get the capitol. He also has to protect baltimore, determine there is a Confederate Army, south of the potomac. Yes, we know that some confederates have invaded maryland, but there are all types of rumors that there is a big confederate force still in Northern Virginia. You have to determine that as well. Third, drive the confederates out of maryland and lincoln has fourth thing that he needs mcclellan to do give him a victory so he can issue is emancipation. Now, this is one of the great ironies of the Maryland Campaign. We need a general who doesnt believe in an emancipation proclamation to win the victory, to deliver it. Thats what lincoln needs from mcclellan. So lets move to lee. Why does lee invade maryland . Now we see the two armies, the big red dot and, the blue dot red dots. Its centreville and near manassas, where the battle of second manassas was fought. Washington is where all these union are all gathered within the fortified nations. So lee has some options available to them. He has the initiative. Well, hes got three essential options that i see first option. He can invest washington, d. C. , but besiege the city. Hes not going to be able to besiege. So he cant cut the entire city off. But he can try to invest part of it. Whats the good thing on . It it maintains the pressure upon lincoln, the federal army. Well, when youve got an army outside, your gates. Thats pressure. Whats the whats the downside . Negative. His men cant eat no supplies in Northern Virginia. No, no means of getting supplies. That isnt going to work. Second option, withdraw to warrenton and reassess your supply line. Your army is very poorly. Reequip your army. Resupply your army. Bring up some of the convalescing wounded, sick men that are in richmond and your army will be bigger safe move. Its a safe move. Negative surrender the initiative, the enemy. If you know anything about robert e lee. He never, ever likes to do. That. Invade maryland. A third option leaves. Northern virginia. Open. All right the battlefield. Second. Manassas. Just trying to collect all this equipment off the field. You also give a break to the area of Northern Virginia. You also give the conscription officers an opportunity to get into areas to conscript soldiers in area that have been overrun by the yankees, maintain the pressure on the federals. Theyve got to react. You go in, you go into maryland. They have to react to that. You force the enemy to take the field before are ready. Thats why you dont want to go to warrenton. They come at when they want to. You force the issue. They come at you when you want them. Before theyre ready. Before theyre reorganized. Before these 300,000 volunteers have been absorbed. The army and trained. Get them out into the open, into the field. And fight them. You. The initiative youre calling shots. Theres a potential to invade pennsylvania and, influence the fall. Congressional. Thats a biggie. Really big for lee. Lee has once expressed it to davis, the confederate president. What he seeks are heavy victories. What he means by that is victory, is to do a lot of damage to the to the federals. But the confederates dont suffer as much. And that will undermine mine the morale of the northern people and the way theyll express their morale being undermined is they will vote out the republicans and vote in the democrats, who are far more likely to negotiate a peace settlement with confederacy. Theres also potential for European Intervention if youre successful. Lee does not think theres going to be any European Intervention, but some people do. But it is always the possibility, the negative. How are you going to supply the army, the physical condition of the army . Thats a negative in any of them. You can look at the list. Its a no brainer for lee. Were going to go into maryland. Thats thats where we want to go. Now, lee is going to write to Jefferson Davis on september the fourth as his army is beginning to cross the Potomac River into. I am more fully of the benefits that will result from expedition in the maryland and i shall proceed make the movement at once. Unless should signify youre just appropriation should the results of the expedition justify it. I propose to enter pennsylvania unless you should deem it an advisable upon political or other grounds. This is just pro forma stuff. Davis absolutely. This movement. Hes already moving. Hes just showing. Dufresne to davis. This was smart on lees part because davis didnt like people who didnt show him deference. Hes showing davis deference. You are the president. I am following the strategic ideas that we had. Weve already discussed this as if this opportunity arose. Thats why he knows davis is not going to say no, i dont want you to go into maryland. Thats not a good idea. He knows davis will approve it. He just wants davis to feel like its his idea. And he, the approving official. So lee has two choices on how