The Maryland Campaign of September 1862

The Battle of Shepherdstown and the End of the Campaign is the third and final volume of Ezra Carmans magisterial The Maryland Campaign of September 1862. As bloody and horrific as the battle of Antietam was, historian Ezra Carmanwho penned a 1,800page manuscript on the Maryland campaigndid not believe it was the decisive battle of the campaign. Generals Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan intended to continue fighting after Sharpsburg, but the battle of Shepherdstown Ford (September 19 and 20) forced them to abandon their goals and end the campaign. Carman was one of the few who gave this smaller engagement its due importance, detailing the disaster that befell the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry and Maj. Gen. A. P. Hills success in repulsing the Union advance, and the often overlooked foray of Jeb Stuarts cavalry to seize the Potomac River ford at Williamsport. Carman also added a statistical study of the casualties in the various battles of the entire Maryland Campaign, and covered Lincolns decision to relieve McClellan of command on November 7. He also explored the relations between President Lincoln and General McClellan before and after the Maryland Campaign, which he appended to his original manuscript. The before section, a thorough examination of the controversy about McClellans role in the aftermath of Second Manassas campaign, will surprise some and discomfort others, and includes an interesting narrative about McClellans reluctance to commit General Franklins corps to aid Maj. Gen. John Popes army at Manassas. Carman concludes with an executive summary of the entire campaign. Dr. Clemens concludes Carmans invaluable narrative with a bibliographical dictionary (and genealogical goldmine) of the soldiers, politicians, and diplomats who had an impact on shaping Carmans manuscript. While many names will be familiar to readers, others upon whom Carman relied for creating his campaign narrative are as obscure to us today as they were during the war. The Maryland Campaign of September 1862, Vol. III: The Battle of Shepherdstown and the End of the Campaign, concludes the most comprehensive and detailed account of the campaign ever produced. Jammed with firsthand accounts, personal anecdotes, detailed footnotes, maps, and photos, this longawaited study will be appreciated as Civil War history at its finest.