Book Review: Roads to Antietam

Roads to Antietam. By John W. Schildt. Third Edition. Sharpsburg, MD, Antietam Institute, 2023. Hardcover, 258 pp. $24.08.

Reviewed by Evan Portman

The eminence of John W. Schildt’s Roads to Antietam is clear with the release of its third edition by the Antietam Institute. Originally published in 1985, this re-release includes few (if any) changes, but introduces Schildt’s work to new audiences.

Schildt begins his study almost immediately after the battle of Second Manassas, picking up the narrative with Maj. Gen. John Pope’s retreat and Gen. Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the North. He follows the armies day by day as they crossed the Potomac River and traversed the fields and roads of Western Maryland. In addition to assessing the leadership of Lee and his Union counterpart George B. McClellan, Schildt also includes the experiences of common soldiers. Particularly fascinating is the testimony of Lt. Col. Wilder Dwight from the 2nd Massachusetts. Schildt includes Dwight’s reaction to McClellan’s return to command as well as the officer’s heartbreaking last letter to his mother after his mortal wound at Antietam.

On the Confederate side, Schildt also follows the travails of Lt. Jedidiah Hotchkiss—Stonewall Jackson’s cartographer. Hotchkiss recalled the Confederate excitement of crossing the Potomac as the Rebels finally took the war into enemy territory. Roads to Antietam also includes the experience of Cpl. George Neese of Chew’s Virginia Battery, who left a vivid account of his unit’s service at the battle of South Mountain.

One of Schildt’s strengths is his ability to balance commentary on Union and Confederate strategy with compelling human-interest stories, like those of Dwight and Neese. He weaves decisions from high command with testimony from common soldiers to present a complete—if complex—picture of the Maryland Campaign. Schildt’s tone is laconic at times, but he allows his sources to speak for themselves. His inclusion of Dwight’s final, bloodstained letter to his mother is heart wrenching, especially since Schildt follows the young officer’s correspondence through the entire campaign.

Roads of Antietam focuses not on the battle itself, but its preceding days and weeks. However, it includes a brief description of the battle’s aftermath as well as the campaign’s effect on civilians. The book shows how residents of Sharpsburg, Frederick, and Middletown witnessed the passing of the armies and dealt with the chaos that ensued in their homes, streets, and fields. He also addresses how Marylanders coped with the aftermath of battle and the countless individuals who flocked to western Maryland in search of their loved ones.

Another strength of Roads to Antietam is Schildt’s vivid imagery and prose. He begins with a memorable description of the harrowing journey of both armies: “The creaking of the wheels, the smell of sweaty leather harnesses, the rumble of horse drawn vehicles, and the tramp, tramp, tramp of perspiring men through clouds of dust comprised some of the sights, sounds, and smells of September 1862.” (1)  Schildt weaves this imagery throughout the book to connect the written accounts of the journey to Antietam.

While Shildt’s volume lacks the excruciating detail of other tomes on the Maryland Campaign, his work is accessible to audiences looking for a concise, yet comprehensive overview of the campaign. He offers a macro analysis of troop movements and strategy interspersed with stories of individual soldiers that makes Roads to Antietam both fascinating and entertaining.



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