When Hell Came to Sharpsburg

The Battle of Antietam and its Impact on the Civilians Who Called it Home

Steven Cowie

• Publisher: Savas Beatie
• Year: 2024
• Print ISBN: 9781611216882
• eBook ISBN: 9781611215915
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: American Civil War History
• Index: History

Discover a forgotten chapter of American history with Steven Cowie's riveting account of the Battle of Antietam.
The Battle of Antietam, fought in and around Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest day in American history. Despite the large number of books and articles on the subject, the battle's horrendous toll on area civilians is rarely discussed. When Hell Came to Sharpsburg: The Battle of Antietam and Its Impact on the Civilians Who Called It Home by Steven Cowie rectifies this oversight. By the time the battle ended about dusk that day, more than 23,000 men had been killed, wounded, or captured in just a dozen hours of combat—a grim statistic that tells only part of the story. The epicenter of that deadly day was the small community of Sharpsburg. Families lived, worked, and worshipped there. It was their home. And the horrific fighting turned their lives upside down. When Hell Came to Sharpsburg investigates how the battle and opposing armies wreaked emotional, physical, and financial havoc on the people of Sharpsburg. For proper context, the author explores the savage struggle and its gory aftermath and explains how soldiers stripped the community of resources and spread diseases. Cowie carefully and meticulously follows the fortunes of individual families like the Mummas, Roulettes, Millers, and many others—ordinary folk thrust into harrowing circumstances—and their struggle to recover from their unexpected and often devastating losses. Cowie's comprehensive study is grounded in years of careful research. He unearthed a trove of previously unused archival accounts and examined scores of primary sources such as letters, diaries, regimental histories, and official reports. Packed with explanatory footnotes, original maps, and photographs, Cowie's richly detailed book is a must-read for those seeking new information on the battle and the perspective of the citizens who suffered because of it. Antietam's impact on the local community was an American tragedy, and it is told here completely for the first time.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Contents
• Foreword by Dennis E. Frye
• “Ravages of War” by John W. Schildt
• Acknowledgments
• List of Abbreviations
• Map Portfolio
• Chapter 1: Something of the Terrible: The Gathering of the Armies
• Chapter 2: A Savage, Continual Thunder: The Battle of Antietam
• Chapter 3: War in All Its Hideousness: The Battle’s Aftermath
• Chapter 4: Putrid Mess: Antietam’s Hospitals
• Chapter 5: Destitute State: The Army of the Potomac’s Supply Crisis
• Chapter 6: The Ravages of This War: Sharpsburg’s “New Normal”
• Chapter 7: Heart-Rending Disaster: The Devastation of Farmsteads
• Chapter 8: Like Frost Before a Burning Sun: The Destruction of Landscape
• Chapter 9: Beautiful Corpse: Antietam’s Disease Outbreak
• Chapter 10: A Tossed and Broken Sort of Place: Continuation of Hardships
• Chapter 11: The Claimants’ Misfortune: The Act of July 4, 1864
• Chapter 12: Sharpsburg vs. the United States: The Struggle to Recover
• Bibliography
• Author’s Biography