27-year-old Colonel Joseph Bartlett planned and led the successful assault on Crampton's Gap, part of the Battle of South Mountain, 156 years ago tomorrow. (The photo shows him after a promotion to brigadier general.)
Bartlett was serving in the division of Henry Slocum, with whom he'd joined up in 1861 in the 27th New York Infantry Regiment, out of Elmira. They were supported by the Vermont Brigade, part of Baldy Smith's division, which like Slocum's in VI Corps, commanded by overcautious Major General William Franklin.
The Crampton's Gap victory was not enough to save Harpers Ferry from Stonewall Jackson, but it did enable George McClellan to get to Antietam and face off his army against Robert E. Lee's.
No comments:
Post a Comment