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Commanding Officer on the Antietam Campaign:
Capt. John Saunders
This Detachment's Chain of Command:
Army - Army of the Potomac
Corps - Second Army Corps
Division - 2nd Division, 2nd Corps
Brigade - 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, 2nd Corps
Unit history
The company was first assigned to Gen. Lander's Brigade, which formed a part of Gen. Stone's force at Poolesville, Md. It remained on the upper Potomac under Gen. Lander until his death in March, 1862, then served for a time under Gen. Shields. During the siege of Yorktown in April, 1862, the company became attached to the 15th Mass. Regt. of Gorman's Brigade, Sedgwick's Division, Sumner's (2d) Corps. With this command the sharpshooters served through the Peninsular campaign, the Antietam campaign, and until the following spring.
(from Hands-on History)
On the Antietam Campaign
The company was attached to the 15th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, a regiment that belonged to Major General John Sedgwick's II Division. On Sept. 17, the 15th was at the far left of the first of Sedgwick's lines to step out of the West Woods moving west. Andrew's Sharpshooters anchored their far left. Moments later, concealed Confederate troops fired on their front and left flank. Very quickly, the 15th took fire from the rear as well. In the space of a few minutes, the 15th Massachusetts lost more than half of their men. Andrew's Sharpshooters lost their captain, a lieutenant, and many of the men were killed, wounded, deserted or otherwise unaccounted for.
In short, an already demoralized company was placed at one of the worst possible spots on Sept. 17, 1862 -- armed with new weapons they did not want and tactics they despised.
-- Senechal de la Roche, author of "Our Aim Was Man": Andrew's Sharpshooters in the American Civil War (U of Mass Press, 2016).
Map Showing this Unit
Detail Map #5: Sedgwick is Flanked in the West Woods (9-10am)
Battlefield Tablets for this Unit
Tablet #35: Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 7 AM to 15 Sep, 8 PM
Tablet #115: Second Army Corps - 15 Sep, 9 AM to 17 Sep, 7 AM
Tablet #120: Army of the Potomac - 17 Sep, 5 AM to 17 Sep, 12 PM
Tablet #116: Second Army Corps - 17 Sep, 6 AM to 17 Sep, 10 AM
Tablet #36: Sedgwick's Division, Second Army Corps - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 17 Sep, 10 AM
Tablet #37: Gorman's Brigade, Sedgwick's Division - 17 Sep, 7 AM to 17 Sep, 10 AM
References & Notes
There's an excellent group photograph of members of the Company, probably from March of 1862. This copy from one hosted by Susan Harnwell on her encyclopedic 15th Massachusetts Infantry site. Another was sold in a collection of Captain John Saunders effects by The Horse Soldier Antiques in Gettysburg.
We have 39 individuals in the AotW database who were on the Maryland Campaign with this unit:
| Co. | Rank | Name | Casualty? | Details* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -- | Pvt | Abbott, Samuel Dwight | MWIA 09/17 |  |
| -- | Pvt | Adams, John Quincy | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Ambrose, John Bennett | AWOL 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Atwood, Otis Warren | AWOL 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Ayers, John H. | POW 09/03 | |
| -- | Pvt | Barker, Samuel S. | AWOL 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Bartlett, Alonzo W. | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Lt | Berry, William | KIA 09/17 |  |
| -- | Sgt | Bicknell, Luke Emerson | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Blodgett, William E. | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Brown, John Haven | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Bryant, Francis W. | AWOL 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Campbell, Samuel G. | MIA (r) 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Cole, Alvin | WIA 09/00 | |
| -- | Pvt | Curtis, George | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Dike, Henry | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Fletcher, Asa | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Fuller, Sanford K. | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Gray, Joseph | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Hills, Edwin T. | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Hixon, Egbert Oswald | AWOL 09/03 | |
| -- | Pvt | Holston, John C. | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Ingalls, Joseph Shaw | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Littlefield, David Mellen | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Orcutt, Joseph Consider | AWOL 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Parmenter, Marcus Morton | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Pray, Otis R. | AWOL 09/17 | |
| -- | Capt | Saunders, John | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Corp | Shattuck, Oramel C. | AWOL 09/14 | |
| -- | Pvt | Snow, Edwin A. | POW 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Snow, Warren | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Strong, Martin V. | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Van Moll, Richard A. | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Wheelock, Frederick Emerson | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | White, Frederick | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Corp | Whittemore, Jr., George | KIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Williams, Samuel Warren | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Wood, Ephraim | WIA 09/17 | |
| -- | Pvt | Wood, Joseph Leander | WIA 09/17 | |
* If there's a symbol in the Details column ... - We have a picture for this person - We have details beyond name and rank
Click on their last name to see more
