"Back Boys, For God's Sake Move Back;"

"Back Boys, For God's Sake Move Back;" (HMDLV)

Location: Sharpsburg, MD 21782 Washington County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 28.697', W 77° 44.969'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 395 views
Inscription

"You Are In A Bad Fix"

Gen. Edwin Vose Sumner, Union Second Corps Commander

(1) As the battle shifted away from the Cornfield, Gen. John Sedwick's division of Federal troops, personally led by corps commander Gen. Edwin Sumner, advanced from the East Woods. Sumner's plan was to move into the West Woods, hit the Confederates in the flank and drive them toward Sharpsburg. Over 5,000 Union soldiers marched out of the East Woods and headed toward the West Woods at 9:15 a.m.

(2) Along with other Confederate forces, Gen. Lafayette McLaws's division went into battle to shore up the left end of the Confederate battle line. As they pressed into the West Woods from one side, Sedgwick's Union soldiers moved in from the other. The result of this convergence was disastrous for the Union soldiers.

(3) Union Pvt. Roland Bowen remembered, "The rebs saw their advantage and with grape and canister and musketry they mowed us down." Confederates attacked from three sides into the flanks of the Federal line. The fighting was so confusing that men from New York fired into the backs of the soldiers in front of them. Within twenty minutes, the Union troops fell back from the West Woods toward the north and east.

(4) As Sedgwick's men fled the West Woods, the other two divisions of the Second Corps assaulted the Sunken Road. Sedgwick had lost 2,200 out of 5,300 men in twenty minutes. The 15th Massachusetts suffered 340 casualties, the highest number for any regiment on the field during the battle. By 11:00 a.m. other Union soldiers held a portion of the West Woods around the Dunker Church. Within an hour they too were driven back to the East Woods. Federal forces did not venture west of the Hagerstown Turnpike for the remainder of the day.

Gen. William E. Starke
Starke took command of the Stonewall Division early that morning after Gen. John R. Jones was stunned by an artillery shell and left the field. The onslaught of the Union First Corps began to drive his men back. Starke led a counterattack out of the West Woods. He was wounded three times and died within the hour. His body was returned to Richmond where he was buried in Hollywood Cemetery.

Flag of the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry
In their first battle, the men of the 125th were on the left flank of the Union advance into the West Woods, where they took the brunt of the Confederate attack. Color bearer Sgt. George Simpson was killed instantly. The flag was saved and was brought back forty-two years later for the dedication of the regiment's monument behind the Dunker Church. For the veterans, seeing the flag again revived in them the "recollections and emotions of that exciting and strenuous day."

West Woods Massacre

Approximate Time of Action: 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.

Approximate Number of Soldiers engaged:
Union 6,000
Confederate 8,000
Total 14,000

Approximate Number of Casualties for Each Army:
Union Army of the Potomac 2,300 killed, wounded, missing
Confederate Army of Northern Virginia 2,000 killed, wounded, missing
Details
HM NumberHMDLV
Tags
Year Placed2009
Placed ByAntietam National Battlefield - National Park Service - U.S. Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 26th, 2014 at 6:44am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 263511 N 4373463
Decimal Degrees39.47828333, -77.74948333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 28.697', W 77° 44.969'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 28' 41.82" N, 77° 44' 58.14" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 5824-6098 Dunker Church Rd, Sharpsburg MD 21782, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. This marker needs at least one picture.
  9. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  10. Is the marker in the median?