Everything Matters

Location:?Near Sharpsburg, Maryland

Date:?17 September, 1862

Scenario:?Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee is invading the north.?

Thomas George Stubbins was 25 when he joined the Union Army in June of 1862.?It was a difficult decision to make, as many young men from Baltimore and the Eastern Shore of Maryland went south to join up with the Rebels. As many as 20,000 Marylanders fought for the Confederacy.??After difficult discussions with his family, he enlisted in the 5th Maryland Infantry Regiment, USA, and was assigned to Company A.?Little did he know that a mere 3 months later he would be involved in one of the bloodiest days to mar the pages of American history.

Flush with confidence from recent victories, the Confederate leadership decided that an invasion of the north might bring a quick end to the war.??With their “tails in the air” they crossed the Potomac River and began moving through Western Maryland closing in on Washington, DC.?Much to the Rebels’ surprise, the United States Army was not intimidated, having received word of Robert E. Lee’s plans. Among the Union forces arrayed against them was the 5th Maryland, defending its home turf.?

The battle began on the Union right flank early on the morning of the 17th, and by 9 AM, the left flank was engaged. ?D.H. Hill's Division of Confederate Infantry had fortified their position along the embankment of the Sunken Road and awaited the arrival of Union General William French’s unit, 5,000 strong.?Three hours of close combat ensued. The Union army, Thomas Stubbins and the 5th Maryland included, had pushed the Rebels back.?Over 5,000 men lay dead or dying, renaming the Sunken Road, “Bloody Lane”.?Among the most devastating casualty counts in American history, 23,000 soldiers were killed or wounded that day.?How important a role did Thomas and the 5th Maryland play on that day in 1862? Their driving back of Hill's Rebels at the Sunken Road was a key part of stalling the Confederate advance and holding the ground they had gained earlier in the day. While the Battle of Antietam has been deemed a "stalemate" by many historians, the end result was Lee being forced back into Virginia, not to march on Union soil again for nearly a year, en route to a small town in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg.

Attached to the main body of the Army of the Potomac as part of the 3rd Brigade, 3rd Division, 2nd Army Corps, the 5th Maryland Infantry fought with that command in the battle of Antietam, being on that part of the field known as the "Bloody Lane," where the regiment lost 39 killed and 109 wounded. Some idea of the severity of this part of the battle may be gained from the fact that the commanding officers were all wounded and carried from the field. The battle honors of the regiment include Antietam, Charlestown, Winchester, the siege of Petersburg, the assault on the Confederate works at Petersburg during the mine explosion which became known as the "Battle of the Crater," the Second Battle of Fair Oaks, and the occupation of Richmond. The 5th Maryland Infantry were the equal of any regiment in the Union army for bravery and devotion to duty. During their service they lost 64 killed, while 97 died of wounds and disease. [Source: The Union Army, Vol. 2].

The 5th was heavily engaged during the entire war, and Thomas Stubbins served until the end, being mustered out after the war had ended.?If he was looking for the easy path to glory, he joined the wrong unit.?All combat soldiers fortunate to come home must deal with the horrors forever burned in their memory while attempting to pick up their lives where they had left them years before.?Thomas, who is my 3rd Great Grandfather, left a 3 year-old son at home when he volunteered to defend the country.?That son is my 2nd Great Grandfather.?After returning, he had 6 more children and was fortunate to live to see multiple grandchildren and great grandchildren.?

How would his patriotic and family legacy have changed had he chosen to align with the Rebels and join up with a Confederate Army unit??We will never know. We can only imagine the inner turmoil with making the right decision.?All decisions have consequences.?Granted, we are not ducking Confederate cannon fire or musket balls, but the decisions made by Engineers directly affect the performance and longevity of our public infrastructure.?This, in turn, directly affects the lives of the many people.?Charged to “hold paramount the safety and well-being of the traveling public”, the challenge increasingly grows with the onslaught of decisions required on every project.?Considerations of sustainability, cost, construction time, resilience and design life, can be daunting as engineers carefully consider what is the right decision to make.?Choosing materials or systems solely because they are “cheaper”, “install faster”, or are alleged to be “just as good as”, does a disservice to the engineering profession, the citizens who rely on Civil Engineers to do the right thing, and civilization overall.?

For a summary of the Battle of Antietam - https://www.civilwaracademy.com/antietam

Please consider our veterans and first responders when choosing charities to support. Here are some ideas:

Camp Hope

wheelchairsforwarriors.org

Tunnels to Towers

www.heroesonthewater.org

www.veteranoutdoors.com

A Hero's Promise

Ron Reichert attended Drexel University where he earned a BS in Civil Engineering. He has been heavily involved with ASCE committees and events at the local, state and national level, and is the VP Technical Elect of the Texas Section. Ron has over 20 years of experience in specification and selection of infrastructure materials.