A Crucial Crossing, a General's Namesake, a Battlefield Icon

A Crucial Crossing, a General's Namesake, a Battlefield Icon (HMP87)

Location: Sharpsburg, MD 21782 Washington County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 39° 26.995', W 77° 43.933'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 426 views
Inscription
Known at the time of the battle as the Rohrbach or Lower Bridge, this picturesque crossing over Antietam Creek was built in 1836 to connect Sharpsburg with Rohrersville, the next town to the south. It was actively used for traffic until 1966 when a bypass enabled the bridge to be restored to its 1862 appearance.

For more than three hours on September 17, 1862, Confederate Gen. Robert Toombs and fewer than 500 Georgia soldiers manned this imposing position against three Federal assaults made by Gen. Ambrose Burnside's much larger Ninth Corps. Confederate General James Longstreet wrote of the action, "Gen. Toombs held the bridge and defended it most gallantly, driving back repeated attacks, and only yielded it after the force brought against him became overwhelming and threatened his flank and rear."

About 1:00 p.m., with Union soldiers crossing downstream and another attack made on the bridge, Toombs and his men had to retreat. However, the strong delaying action provided much needed time to allow Gen. A.P. Hill's Confederate soldiers, marching from Harpers Ferry to arrive on the field.
Details
HM NumberHMP87
Tags
Placed ByAntietam National Battlefield
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 9th, 2014 at 3:54pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 264900 N 4370269
Decimal Degrees39.44991667, -77.73221667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 26.995', W 77° 43.933'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 26' 59.70" N, 77° 43' 55.98" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)301
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 18125 Old Burnside Bridge Rd, Sharpsburg MD 21782, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?