by David A. Welker
Antietam. For generations of Americans this word—the name of
a bucolic stream in western Maryland—held the same sense of horror and carnage
that the simple date 9/11 does for modern America. But Antietam eclipses even
this modern tragedy as America's single bloodiest day, on which 22,000 men
became casualties in a war to determine our nation’s future.
Antietam is forever burned into the American psyche, a battle bathed in blood
that served no military purpose, brought no decisive victory. This much
Americans know. What they didn't know is why this is so—until now. The
Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point tells for the first time the
full story of the exciting struggle to control “the Cornfield,” the action on
which the costly battle of Antietam turned, in a thorough yet readable
narrative. It explains what happened in Antietam’s Cornfield and why. Because
Federal and Confederate forces repeatedly traded control of the spot, the fight
for the Cornfield is a story of human struggle against fearful odds, of men
seeking to do their duty, of simply trying to survive. Many of the included
firsthand accounts have never been revealed to modern readers and never have
they been assembled in such a comprehensive, readable form.
At the same time, The Cornfield offers fresh views of the battle as a
whole, arguing that it turned on events in the Cornfield because of two central
facts — Union General George McClellan’s linear thinking demanded that the
Cornfield must be taken and, because of this, the repeated failure by the
generals McClellan charged with fulfilling this task created a self-reinforcing
cycle of disaster that doomed the Union's prospects for success—at the cost of
thousands of lives.
The Cornfield offers new perspectives that may be
controversial—particularly to those who accept unchallenged the views of the
battle's first historians and its generals, who too often sought to shape our
understanding for their own purposes—but which are certain to change modern
understanding of how the battle of Antietam was fought and its role in American
history.
About the Author
David Welker is a
professional historian and military analyst for the Federal Government. He
holds a master's degree in International Affairs from American University and a
bachelor's in History and Political Science from Westminster College.
ISBN 978-1612008325, Casemate, © 2020, Hardcover, 384 pages,
Photographs & Illustrations, Maps, Appendices: Order of Battle, Union &
Confederate Casualties at Antietam, Endnotes, Bibliography & Index. $34.95.
To purchase this book click HERE.
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