Existing comment:
The Aftermath:
"Stonewall" Jackson's command decisions at Harpers Ferry led to a stunning and valuable victory for the Confederacy. However, as a result of the Harpers Ferry engagement, the main Union army under George McClellan caught up with Robert E. Lee's much smaller force at Sharpsburg, Maryland. Jackson's footsore troops had to make a severe overnight march from Harpers Ferry to rejoin Lee in time for the expected battle. Although the last Confederate reinforcements from Harpers Ferry arrived at Antietam Creek in the nick of time to save Lee from annihilation, the first Southern invasion of the Northern states was over. The Confederate invaders withdrew after the battle of Antietam -- the single, bloodiest day of the Civil War. Despite the astonishing Union defeat at Harpers Ferry and the sobering losses at Antietam, the end of the Maryland Campaign resulted in a desperately needed victory for the North. |