2009-07-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Our Boys Did Nobly: Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Soldiers at the Battles of South Mountain and Antietam

Paperback: xii; 345 pages
Published: Lulu, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-557-08896-6

Maps by Mannie Gentile
$22.98

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On Wednesday, September 17, 1862, the once peaceful farming fields surrounding the small western Maryland town of Sharpsburg were transformed into vast, horrific killing fields. By the time the sun set on what would have otherwise been a pleasant late summer day, more than 23,000 Americans were killed, wounded, captured, or listed among the missing in action. It was, and remains, America's bloodiest single-day battle. It was also a turning point. The battle of Antietam marked the end of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North, and while traditional interpretation defines the fight as a tactical draw, a very bloody stalemate, the results of the larger campaign favored the Union. Five days after the bloodletting along the banks of the Antietam Creek and with the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in retreat, President Abraham Lincoln announced the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. No longer was the war being waged solely to reunite a divided nation; now, it was being fought to help free millions of human beings from the brutal bonds of slavery.

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In Our Boys Did Nobly, Civil War historian and Antietam Park Ranger John David Hoptak narrates in vivid detail the story of the consequential Maryland Campaign of September 1862, with special focus on the crucial and bloody battles of South Mountain and Antietam, as experienced by three volunteer infantry regiments, the 48th, 50th, and 96th Pennsylvania, all of which were recruited primarily from Hoptak's native Schuylkill County. Although impossible to determine with precise accuracy, an estimated 800 soldiers from the anthracite-laden and fertile farm fields of Schuylkill County served during this campaign, seeing action at Fox's Gap, Crampton's Gap, around the Burnside Bridge and on the heights southeast of Sharpsburg. Of this number, 178 would be listed among the killed, wounded, and missing, or nearly one out of every four engaged.

Our Boys Did Nobly tells the story of these men, largely through their own letters, diaries, and other first-hand accounts. But while the Schuylkill County soldiers are the focus, special attention is made to their commanders. Brigadier General James Nagle, who organized the 48th, and Colonel Benjamin Christ, who formed the 50th, were both brigade commanders in the Union Ninth Corps, and both hailed from Schuylkill County. Interestingly, of the 100+ monuments on the Antietam battlefield, only two feature statues of high-ranking Union officers. These are Nagle and Christ. Special attention is also paid to Colonel Henry Lutz Cake, who organized and commanded the 96th Pennsylvania.

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It is the hope of the author that with this book, he will be able to not only contribute, in some small way, to our understanding of the Maryland Campaign and the battles of South Mountain and Antietam, but also to pay tribute to the volunteer soldiers of his native Schuylkill County.

Our Boys Did Nobly is available for purchase at the price of $22.98. Click here for ordering information. It will soon be available at a number of locations in Schuylkill County, through Amazon.com, and a number of other online distributors.

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General James Nagle and the 48th Pennsylvania Monument at Antietam

Colonel Benjamin Christ and the 50th Pennsylvania Monument at Antietam

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"John David Hoptak's latest work is a fresh approach in a sea of historical scholarship. Historians view the Maryland Campaign as one of the key turning points of the American Civil War with Antietam being the battle that forever changes the meaning of the conflict. No longer was the war being fought solely to reunite a divided country; now it was being waged to create a new Union with freedom for all. Our Boys Did Nobly provides a window into the campaign by focusing on three regiments, the 48th, 50th, and 96th Pennsylvania, all of which were recruited primarily from Hoptak's native Schuylkill County. His meticulous research and smooth writing transports readers back in time and places them in the ranks of these Keystone State regiments. The book not only explains in great detail the engagements in which these soldiers fought, but goes a step further by providing dramatic first-hand accounts and numerous anecdotes that all help bring these regiments--and these soldiers--to life. For me, a book such as Our Boys Did Nobly goes beyond the mere tactical details by giving a voice to these veteran regiments. His wonderful book breathes new life into an old battlefield."

Brian S. Baracz, Park Ranger
Antietam National Battlefield