Antietam | West Woods | Sep 17, 1862 | 9:00 - 10:30 am

Around 9:30 am Union Gen. Edwin Sumner led Gen. John Sedgwick's Division, numbering more than 5,000 men, into the battle. Their plan was to drive into the woods and then sweep south, delivering a crushing blow to Lee's left flank. As they moved through the West Woods, however, Confederate artillery opened fire from a position on Hauser Ridge. Within minutes, the Federals were torn to pieces by bullets from three different directions. Confederate re-enforcements from the Gen. Lafeyette McLaws' and Gen. John Walker's divisions slammed into the unsuspecting Union flank. Suffering over 2,200 casualties in about twenty minutes, the Federals quickly withdrew from the West Woods.