The Civil War battle in western Maryland that killed 22,000 men-and served no military purpose.

For generations of Americans, the word Antietam-the name of a bucolic stream in western Maryland-held the same sense of horror and carnage that the date 9/11 does for Americans today. 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 as a battle bathed in blood that served no military purpose and brought no decisive victory. This much Americans know was true. What they didn't know was why the battle broke out at all-until now. The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point tells for the first time the full story of the struggle to control "the Cornfield," the action on which the costly battle of Antietam turned. 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, men seeking to do their duty, and a simple test of survival. Many of the firsthand accounts included in this volume have never before been revealed to modern readers or assembled in such a comprehensive, readable narrative.

At the same time, The Cornfield offers fresh views of the battle as a whole, arguing that two central facts doomed thousands of soldiers. This new, provocative perspective is certain to change our modern understanding of how the battle of Antietam was fought and its role in American history.

David A. Welker is a professional historian and military analyst for the US federal government. He holds a master's degree in international affairs from American University and a bachelor's degree in history and political science from Westminster College.

Acknowledgments
List of Maps
Images
Prologue
1 Planting the Seed of a Campaign
2 The Road to Antietam: September 4-15, 1862
3 Emerging from the Fog: September 16
4 America's Bloodiest Day Dawns: Midnight to Sunrise
5 The Cornfield: Ricketts's Division Opens the Ball
6 The Cornfield: Doubleday's Attack
7 The Cornfield: Hood's Division Counterstrikes
8 The Cornfield: Mansfield Wrests Order from Chaos
9 The Cornfield: Williams Turns the Tide
10 The Cornfield: Union Success Weighs in the Balance
11 The Cornfield's Influence: Sumner Assaults the West Woods
12 The Cornfield's Influence: Greene's Division Takes the Ridge
13 The Cornfield's Influence: Franklin's Moment and the VI Corps Arrive
14 The Cornfield's Influence: The South Seeks the OffensiveContents