The 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry’s Fiery Ordeal At Antietam

By Joseph Bordonaro · Originally published October 2016 · p. 11

The dawn of September 17, 1862, was foggy and humid. The 23rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry lay by the east bank of the Antietam Creek. Three days’ prior, the regiment had suffered severely at the Battle of South Mountain, where they had 32 men killed, 95 wounded, and 3 missing. Their commander, Rutherford B. Hayes (who would become the 19th President of the United States) was one of the wounded, having been shot through the left arm while leading a charge against an entrenched enemy. Now led by Major James M. Comly, the regiment also included Commissary Sgt. William McKinley, Jr., who would become the 25th President of the United States. It took several hours for a suitable ford to be found, but eventually one was as Snavely Ford, and the Union Army’s IXth Corps, which the 23rd Ohio belonged to, got across. It took a long time to get all of the units across the ford, however, and even with the successful storming of the Lower Bridge (now the Burnside Bridge), the 23rd Ohio had to endure a prolonged artillery barrage during the wait. Finally, the IXth Corps was ready to advance and pushed uphill towards the town of Sharpsburg. Capture of the town would cut General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia’s retreat route across the Potomac River and would virtually ensure its destruction. Just when victory was within grasp, however, a large body of troops was spotted on the left flank of the IXth Corps advance. Many of the troops were wearing Union blue, and at first, it was supposed that these soldiers were reinforcements, but as it turned out, they were actually the van of General A. P. Hill’s “Light Division” and the blue uniforms were booty from the fall of Harpers Ferry and the capture there of thousands of Federal soldiers. The stunned left flank of the IXth Corps, which unfortunately was largely composed of totally “green” troops who had never before experienced combat, was routed, and the 23rd Ohio and the rest of the Corps had no choice but to fall back across the Antietam. The day was rapidly drawing to a close, and the failure of General Burnside’s attack brought the fighting of the day to a close. The battle turned out to be the bloodiest one-day battle of the entire Civil War, and the 23rd Ohio suffered a further 8 men killed, 59 wounded, and 2 missing in action, bringing their three-day casualty total to 199. The regiment had suffered a fiery ordeal, indeed. Given the 23rd Ohio’s “fiery

(Jeffrey Hayes)

ordeal”, it somehow seemed fitting that the members of the Liberty Rifles, who were portraying the 23rd Ohio at a living history event at Antietam National Battlefield on the weekend of August 12-14, suffered a “fiery ordeal” of their own. With the actual temperature hitting a high of 95 degrees, and the oppressive humidity making the “real feel” temperature above 100 degrees, the members of the Liberty Rifles faced a tough test, indeed. Nothing daunted, however, they completed a battlefield march on

Saturday and demonstrations at the Visitor Center on both Saturday and Sunday. Visitation at the park was surprisingly high, given the weather, and the visitors were very appreciative of the living history they experienced. Their appreciation was reward enough for the members of the Liberty Rifles, and they will no doubt reflect with pride on their determination in attending the living history in the face of very accurate weather predictions and their perseverance in completing the program for the park. (Jeffrey Hayes)

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