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Confederate Defenders
Gen. David R. Jones
This thirty-seven year old graduate of West Point was the division commander responsible for the Confederate right flank. He wrote that "on that morning my entire command of six brigades comprised only 2,430 men, the enormous disparity of force with which I contended can be seen." Jones' soldiers killed his brother-in-law, Col. Henry Kingsbury, who led the first Union attack on the bridge. Jones died four months after the battle from heart disease.
Gen. Robert A. Toombs
Fifty-two year old Toombs was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from Georgia. He served briefly as Confederate Secretary of State before resigning to take a military command. Toombs wrote in his official battle report that "the enemy were compelled to approach mainly by the road which led up the river for near 300 paces, parallel with my line of battle... exposing his flank to a destructive fire for most of that distance."
Col. Henry L. Benning
Nicknamed the "Rock," Benning was a lawyer, legislator, and justice on the Georgia Supreme Court before the war. Forty-eight years old at Antietam, Col. Benning commanded the troops defending the bridge. He stated: "During that long and terrible fire not a man, except a wounded one, fell out and went to the rear - not a man. The loss of the enemy was heavy. Near the bridge they lay in heaps." Fort Benning in Georgia is named for him.
Bridge of Destiny
Approximate Time of Action: 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Approximate Number of Soldiers engaged:
Union 5,200
Confederate 500
Total 5,700
Approximate Number of Casualties for Each Army:
Union Army of the Potomac 500 killed, wounded, missing
Confederate Army of Northern Virginia 120 killed, wounded, missing |