The depiction on the right is a sketch made on the evening of September 17, 1862 by Captain James Hope. The left photograph was taken by Alexander Gardner on September 19 after almost all the bodies had been removed by Union burial details. The center photograph is a modern one of the sunken road.
The units defending here were under Daniel Harvey Hill and consisted of George B Anderson’s North Carolina regiments and those of Robert Rodes’ (Alabamians) . A few men from Alfred Colquitt ’s Brigade were also defending here. About 2500 Confederates in all.
William French attacked the sunken road with his Union forces (5700 men) under the leadership of Israel Richardson and Generals Weber, Morris, Campbell, Thomas Meagher (Irish Brigade), and Caldwell.
Fighting at the sunken road went on continuously for over three hours with horrendous casualties on both sides.
This Eyewitness sketch by James Hope (just a few hours after these men died) gives an idea of how many bodies were piled up in the sunken road: something which photographs taken by Gardner at this horrific scene have missed.
The units defending here were under Daniel Harvey Hill and consisted of George B Anderson’s North Carolina regiments and those of Robert Rodes’ (Alabamians) . A few men from Alfred Colquitt ’s Brigade were also defending here. About 2500 Confederates in all.
William French attacked the sunken road with his Union forces (5700 men) under the leadership of Israel Richardson and Generals Weber, Morris, Campbell, Thomas Meagher (Irish Brigade), and Caldwell.
Fighting at the sunken road went on continuously for over three hours with horrendous casualties on both sides.
This Eyewitness sketch by James Hope (just a few hours after these men died) gives an idea of how many bodies were piled up in the sunken road: something which photographs taken by Gardner at this horrific scene have missed.