Virtual Tour of Sharpsburg: The East Woods

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Located along one of the edges of the Miller Cornfield, the East Woods was the site of a powerful Union artillery position on the morning of September 17, 1862.

Near here, General Mansfield was mortally wounded and was carried from the field as the fighting for his corps opened. General Alpheus Williams stepped up to take command of the XII Corps. His men drove the Confederates towards the Dunker Church. There, they were stopped by Stonewall Jackson.

Jackson had gathered together troops who had already been driven back through the Cornfield during the previous three hours of sharp fighting. As luck would have it, McLaws' Division arrived from Harper's Ferry and Jackson was able to use these fresh troops to stem the Union tide and drive back the Twelfth Corps.

Monuments in the Area

The 137th Pennsylvania

Located along Cornfield Avenue (a battlefield road), the 137th Pennsylvania were members of the 6th Army Corps. The monument reads, as do most of the Pennsylvania monuments: Virtue, Liberty and Independence. It also lists the regiment's engagements. The monument was dedicated on September 17, 1904 -- the 42nd anniversery of the battle. According to the monument, the regiment fought 410 yards North of the Monument.

A large monument marking where General Mansfield fell is also located nearby.

The 90th Pennsylvania

By far one of the most interesting and unique monuments on the battlefield is the monument to the 90th Pennsylvania Infantry. (Perhaps the unit had a penchant for interesting markers; its monument at Gettysburg is a carved tree!) The monument is located on the south side of Cornfield Avenue, near the East Woods, but is easily missed. Dedicated in 2004, the inscription on one of the newest monuments on the battlefield is simple but appropriate: Here fought the 90th Penna. (Phila) - Sept. 17, 1862 - A Hot Place.

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