FROM THE PENINSULA TO ANTIETAMJ
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account of the battles ofSouth Mountain and Antie-tam, but simply a sketch ofthe general operations of theMaryland campaign of 1862intended for general readers,especially for those whose memory doesnot extend back to those exciting days,and whose knowledge is derived from the meageraccounts in so-called histories, too often intended tomislead and pander to party prejudices rather than toseek and record the truth.
A great battle can never be regarded as “ a solitaire,”a jewel to be admired or condemned for itself alone, and without referenceto surrounding objects and circumstances. A battle is always one link ina long chain of events; the culmination of one series of manoeuvres, and thestarting-point of another series — therefore it can never be fully understoodwithout reference to preceding and subsequent events.
Restricted as this narrative is intended to be, it is nevertheless necessaryto preface it by a brief story of the antecedent circumstances.
In an article already published in “The Century” [May, 1885], I havenarrated the events of the Peninsular campaign up to the time when, at the
THE NATIONAL CEMETERY AT SHARPS-BURG— OVERLOOKING THE VALLEYOF THE ANTIETAM.
i After General McClellan had written the articleon the Peninsular Campaign (published in “TheCentury” magazine for May, 1885 [see p. 160] ),he was requested to write an account of the battleof Antietam, which he promised to do at his leisure.He had kept the promise in mind, and as occasionserved had sketched introductory portions of theproposed article. In the morning after his suddendeath, these manuscript pages were found on histable, with some others freshly written, possiblyon the previous day or evening. There was alsoan unsealed note to one of the editors (in reply toone he had received), in which he said that he wouldat once proceed with the article and finish it.
It was his custom in writing for the press to makea rapid but complete sketch, often abbreviatingwords and leaving blanks for matter to be copiedfrom documents, and then to rewrite the entire ar-ticle for publication. It would seem that in this casehe had first in mind the consideration stated in thesecond paragraph of the article, and had given hisattention to the history of the army, from theclose of the Seven Days’ battles to the advancefrom Washington toward South Mountain and An-tietam. There was no manuscript relating to later
events. He had commenced what appears to behis final copy of this first portion of the article, buthad completed only about three pages of foolscap,which extend in the print below to a place in-dicated.
It is an interesting fact that in this final copythe paragraph commencing with the words “Solong as life lasts ” was apparently the last written,being on a separate page and indicated by a letterA for insertion where it stands. This tribute ofadmiration for the army which loved him as heloved them was among the last thoughts, if it wasnot the very last, which his pen committed topaper.
Although this introduction to the account-of An-tietam is but his first sketch, and not in the finalshape he would have given it for publication, it isso comprehensive and complete, and contains somuch that is of historical importance, that bis liter-ary executor has considered it his duty to allow itspublication in“The Century”in the form inw'hichGeneral McClellan left it, and thus as far as possiblefulfill a promise made in the last hours of his life.
William C. Prime,
Literary Executor of General McClellan.
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