Student’s Visual Organizer Letter as Word Document

Sept. 30, 1862

Dear Cousin Edward Emmett Treet,

I hope this letter finds you in good condition, not wounded or hurt and if it does, I pray that you will get better. I am writing this in a Confederate supply wagon heading to join the Confederacy after our horrible loss in Antietam. Even though we tied, General McClellan made some horrible planning mistakes. With the right decisions we would have won. I am ashamed to be part of the Union Army. I was a Sergeant, but I still was so ashamed that I am joining the Confederacy. In my letter I hope you don’t mind me calling you a Reb because that is what we Yankees call you.

I was in the 1st Corps, Division One and I was an Infantry Sergeant. Before the battle we prepared for two days. On the 17th there were 30,000 of your troops against 60,000 of our troops. We would have won but we only used 50% of our troops while you used all of your troops. This was just one of McClellan’s mistakes. The first phase of the battle was called The Cornfield. As you can probably guess it was fought on a cornfield. At 6:00 in the morning before the sun had risen in the sky enough for us to see, Major General Joseph K. F. Mansfield ordered 50 cannons to fire upon your left flank, and us, the 1st Corps to attack the Rebs. I reckon we had about 15,000 troops and you had about 9,000. Later, I learned it was 12,000 to 7000 men. It was a horrible sight. Every step our corps took, more and more people fell down because of the Reb’s muskets. I shot like heck with my Springfield musket.

It was a gruesome sight. There were soldiers with their faces smashed to pieces. The ground was red with blood. I saw so many organs from people’s bodies. That sight will haunt me forever. It was raining lead. I got a couple of cuts by lead. In the morning your lines almost broke but your reinforcements arrived. We retreated after that and didn’t fight again at Antietam. We lost ¼ of our troops and our corps commander, Hooker, was injured. The information after this I did not witness. I got it from other sources, which may or may not be reliable. This I saw with my very own eyes. The corn stalks were cut clean, as they could have been with a knife. Then the Major General himself, Joseph K. F. Mansfield went into battle with the 12th corps. He was mortally wounded. I think it was about thirty minutes. At around 9:00, three hours after we began fighting, General McClellan ordered a 3rd attack over the already red ground. General Sumner attacked you Rebs. I heard that you Rebs rearranged your line into an arc. Our troops went in and lost alignment in your trap. You caused the death of Michael Growner. Remember him? He lived two doors down from us.

I will join you guys but I definitely won’t enlist under Jackson. The lead division of those 18,000 lost 50% of their men. You made a final charge but it was aborted. This was the end of our four hour attack on the Reb’s left flank.

At Bloody Lane, the 2nd phase of the battle, we were aiming for the Reb’s center. Again General McClellan, that idiot, made horrible mistakes. With the right choices he could’ve won. It started at 10:00 and went on for about 4 hours. This phase was called Bloody Lane. You Rebs were in a sunken road, about 1000 yards to the East and South. You tried to fortify your hidden position. Our troops appeared on the hill above you. They were in General Sumner’s 2^ndCorps. Major General William H. French commanded the lead division in the attack. When French got near you delivered a fire and our troops were wiped out. A second group met the same fate. Both of us brought in reinforcements and for three hours the fighting continued but neither of us gained an advantage. Major General Israel B. Richardson came in to help and by early afternoon we gained the high ground near the sunken road’s bend. We fired upon your remaining troops. I’m not sure how many. I have heard numbers from 5000 to 100. However many there were, they fell back to new positions. You would have guessed General McClellan would order us to keep attacking which would have ruined Lee’s center. But that idiot McClellan didn’t. He chose to end the fighting there. That is all I know about Bloody Lane.

The last phase of Antietam was called Burnside’s Bridge after our General Ambrose Burnside. It took place south of the Cornfield and Bloody Lane. There was a stone bridge there that crossed Antietam Creek. Burnside needed to attack your right. He commanded the 9^th Corps. It would’ve been easy for him if he had used his superior number, but no, that blasted idiot sent his troops across the bridge one regiment at a time. I can’t believe Lincoln still gave him McClellan’s job. Every time a regiment tried to cross the bridge you Rebs fired upon us and we were forced back again and again. After Bloody Lane ended some artillery was moved. They covered two regiments while they crossed the bridge. They established a foothold and drove you Rebs back. You would guess that McClellan would order Burnside to immediately cross the bridge and keep fighting you, but no, that dang blasted idiot delayed for and over 2 hours before advancing. We finally began moving troops, thousands. Lee’ s weakened flank. Our superior numbers quickly plowed through you so Lee had to move troops and artillery to the area. Shapsburg was in flames and we were going to win. Our guys, in the frenzy of the battle didn’t notice reinforcements coming from Harper’s Ferry. They attacked our left flank and in minutes our attack was stopped. We were forced back to the creek.

We had fought for 14 hours and later I learned that we alone had over 12,000 men either wounded, captured, missing or dead. It was the bloodiest day in the Civil War and the history of America. That was my account on Antietam.

Next are my living conditions. Everyone was issued half of a tent. Two people joined together to make a tent. If there was an odd number then the odd person was unlucky. We had no furniture so we slept and sat on what nature provided. Sometimes there weren’t any tent supports so we used our rifles. We ate hardtack, dried beef, salt pork, bacon, rice, sliced carrots, jam, water, nuts, apples, peaches, dried fruit and whatever we could get hold of. If we could get some meat or some fruit we were really lucky. We carried everything around in our haversacks. As I can see now, yours are made of linen and aren’t waterproof. In my spare time I preferred gambling, I played poker and cards and I was able to make a tidy sum. Our commanding officer didn’t allow gambling but I did it anyway. Overall our life was horrible but when my dad and mom died and I didn’t have anything to eat, I realized being a soldier is better than starving.

My main weapon was my Springfield musket issued to me by the Union Government. Every soldier in our company had one. I would reckon’ it was about 10 pounds and 5 feet long. I also brought a Starr Revolver from home. It was about three pounds. It was a nice weapon. It even had double action. Since I was in the infantry I can’t tell you about the cannons or the Cavalry weapons.

I hope you are feeling well or getting better. I can’t wait to see your side of the story. What regiment were you in? Whose command were you under? Oh grand. I have reached the Confederate side. Maybe I will be fighting along side you. Can’t wait to get your letter.  

Sincerely,

John Kevin Treet

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