Burnside Bridge
The Lower Bridge, Antietam Creek. Antietam Battlefield. Sharpsburg, MD. Early morning.
The view is to the west, from the Federal position, facing the Confederate defenders in the Quarry and the town of Sharpsburg.
In the third and final phase of the battle, Federal troops, under the command of General Ambrose Burnside, spent most of the day attempting to take the bridge, and in the process sustained terrible casualties. The bridge was eventually carried, and Federal forces approached Sharpsburg and the Army of Northern Virginia's headquarters. Confederate troops, under the command of General A.P. Hill, directly entered the battle after a 17-mile march from Harper's Ferry which they had begun eight hours earlier. Confederate counterattacks pushed the Federal left wing back behind Antietam Creek, and this effectively ended the Battle of Antietam.
Burnside Bridge
The Lower Bridge, Antietam Creek. Antietam Battlefield. Sharpsburg, MD. Early morning.
The view is to the west, from the Federal position, facing the Confederate defenders in the Quarry and the town of Sharpsburg.
In the third and final phase of the battle, Federal troops, under the command of General Ambrose Burnside, spent most of the day attempting to take the bridge, and in the process sustained terrible casualties. The bridge was eventually carried, and Federal forces approached Sharpsburg and the Army of Northern Virginia's headquarters. Confederate troops, under the command of General A.P. Hill, directly entered the battle after a 17-mile march from Harper's Ferry which they had begun eight hours earlier. Confederate counterattacks pushed the Federal left wing back behind Antietam Creek, and this effectively ended the Battle of Antietam.