Key Facts
- Dates
- September 19–20, 1862
- Campaign
- Maryland Campaign, American Civil War
- Location
- Boteler's Ford, Potomac River, Jefferson County
- Notable loss
- 118th Pennsylvania Infantry suffered heavy casualties
- Outcome
- Confederate counterattack repulsed Union forces back across Potomac
Strategic Narrative Overview
On September 19, Union forces from V Corps engaged Pendleton's artillery and crossed the river at dusk, capturing some guns. Pendleton erroneously reported to Lee that all rearguard artillery had been lost. On the morning of September 20, Lee dispatched A. P. Hill's Light Division, which counterattacked vigorously and drove the Union infantry back across the Potomac. The 118th Pennsylvania Infantry, isolated and unable to withdraw with other units, suffered disproportionately heavy losses during the Confederate assault.
01 / The Origins
Following the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862 — the bloodiest single day of the Civil War — General Robert E. Lee ordered the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia to withdraw southward across the Potomac River at Boteler's Ford. To protect the retreat, Lee posted a rearguard under Brigadier General William N. Pendleton, whose artillery held the ford against Union pursuit from the Army of the Potomac's V Corps.
03 / The Outcome
The Confederate counterattack successfully cleared Union troops from the southern bank of the Potomac, securing Lee's line of retreat. With the ford protected, the Army of Northern Virginia continued withdrawing into the Shenandoah Valley, ending the Maryland Campaign. The Union Army of the Potomac did not mount a sustained pursuit, allowing the Confederate army to reconsolidate and recover from the heavy losses sustained at Antietam just days earlier.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
William N. Pendleton, A. P. Hill, Robert E. Lee.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.