Book Snapshot: Brigades of Antietam

Following the 2002 publication of Brigades of Gettysburg, author Bradley Gottfried became a certified Antietam guide and, by his own admission, transferred his focus to that battle. Modeled on that earlier work, Brigades of Antietam: The Union and Confederate Brigades at the Battle of Antietam (hardcover, 488 pages, $44.95) is a collaborative effort between Gottfried (who serves as contributor and volume editor) and a long list of Antietam battlefield rangers, official guides, and volunteers [Claire Affinito, Brian Baracz, Matthew Borders, Mac Bryan, James Buchanan, Lucas Cade, Jason Campbell, Tom Clemens, Robert Gottschalk, Laura Marfut, Sharon Murray, Kevin Pawlak, Martin Pritchett, Gary Rohrer, Jim Rosebrock, William Sagle, J.O. Smith, Joseph Stahl, and Steven Stotelmyer].

Presented in descending order through the full infantry and cavalry orders of battle [corps>division>brigade] from both armies, each section includes a command sketch and a brisk summary of the formation's maneuvering and fighting. Coverage encompasses the entire 1862 Maryland Campaign, and, where appropriate, each treatment is further subdivided by event (ex. Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, Antietam, and Shepherdstown). With brief quoted phrases and passages from first-hand accounts judiciously incorporated throughout, unit narratives exhibit both description and analysis. Brigade entries also include a header consisting of regimental composition, brigade strength, and brigade casualty figures. The numbers data was obtained from the appendix section of Scott Hartwig's To Antietam Creek.

Endnotes and bibliography indicate that the contributors consulted a wide range of source materials. In addition to reliance on the O.R. there is heavy use of authoritative book-length published sources (ex. classic Carman through new-classic Hartwig campaign accounts and a host of unit histories, biographies, memoirs, letter collections, etc.) along with manuscript, newspaper, and web research. The book's twenty maps are borrowed from Gottfried's Maps of Antietam (2012).

A product of a wide range of shared expertise, Brigades of Antietam looks to be a highly useful reference book. It is the first publication of the Antietam Institute, a new non-profit organization that I referenced a short time ago in an earlier post [see here]. For those wondering about the artillery, a volume addressing the long arm (Jim Rosebrock's Artillery Units of Antietam) is currently scheduled for release sometime later this year.