Matt Doeden - At the Battle of Antietam: An Interactive Battlefield Adventure

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You are on the front lines of the bloodiest war ever fought on American soil. The Civil War rages on as Robert. E. Lees force led by George McClellan. Battle erupts near the small Antietam Creek, near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Can you survive the coming battle?

In this book youll explore how the choices people made meant the difference between life and death. The events youll experience happened to real people.

Chapter One sets the scene. Then you choose which path to read. Follow the links at the bottom of each page as you read the stories. The decisions you make will change your outcome. After you finish one path, go back and read the others for new perspectives and more adventures. Use your device's back buttons or page navigation to jump back to your last choice.

YOU CHOOSE the path you take through history.

Smoke rises above the army camp. It hangs in the air like a thick cloud. The smell of it seeps into your skin and your lungs. But after a year on the front lines, the smell of smoke is welcome. The other smells that linger about camp are far less pleasant. Men are gathered by the thousands, and most havent bathed in weeks.

An officer rides by on horseback. The horses hooves leave deep prints in the muddy ground. Somewhere near the edge of the camp, the men stir. You can hear their hooting and hollering. That can only mean one thing. Battle is nearly upon you.

You look out at the landscape around you. Its beautiful. Farms and rolling hills give way to dense pockets of forest. Not far from camp, the scenic Antietam Creek winds across the countryside.

The part of the war known as the Maryland Campaign is just starting to get into full swing. After a victory at Bull Run, General Robert E. Lee has directed his troops north. They have moved into Maryland, under the command of General Thomas Stonewall Jackson. Union General George B. McClellan has responded. And now, the two forces are on a collision course.

This peaceful-looking landscape is about to be the site of some of the wars deadliest fighting. And youll be in the thick of it.

You wipe your brow and march to your post. Whatever comes, youll be ready.

At ease, captain, barks your commanding officer, Major General Joseph Hooker. He walks quickly into the small building being used as the camps command center. You relax your body but remain standing as he leads you to a small table set in the center of the room. The table is lit by several lanterns. On it lies a large map of Maryland.

Hooker is a tall man with dark, wavy hair. His saber rattles at his side as he moves around the table. Hooker points his index finger at a spot on the map. Its Antietam Creek.

The rebels are there, on the north banks of the creek, south of Sharpsburg, he barks. We need to know how many there are and how many cannons they have. And we need to know whether theyre mobilizing. Youre one of our best scouts. Take a few men. Cross the river. Learn all you can and report back to me.

Yes sir, you reply. Hooker sweeps out of the room as quickly as he arrived. You take another long look at the map, committing the image to memory. Then you step outside and gather your gear. Finally you summon two of your best men, George and Isaac, to join you.

General Joseph Hooker (18141879)

Just the three of us? George asks. Hes a private, a low-ranking soldier. But he grew up hunting and tracking animals and theres no one with better instincts in the field.

It needs to be a small force, explains Isaac. Hes a lieutenant and has one of the sharpest tactical minds you know. He can guess an armys size with just a look at its camp. He also understands better than you do exactly how both Union and Confederate commanders think.

The three of you collect your weapons and then mount horses. Your first task is to cross the Antietam Creek. The slow-moving creek winds through the countryside. Youre on the southeast side of it, while the Confederates have camped along the northwest banks.

Theres a stone bridge to the south, George says. That might be a good place to cross.

Isaac disagrees. Were more likely to be spotted going that way. Its too close to the rebel camp. We could head north to cross, then double back under cover.

You scratch the scruffy beard that covers most of your face. You dont want to waste time by going north, only to double back. But walking into a Confederate trap doesnt sound very appealing either.

Whatll it be, sir? Isaac asks.

To the bridge, you order. Theres no time to waste.

Its a short ride to where the stone bridge stands. The Antietam Creek flows slowly beneath it. In another time, this place would seem beautiful. But now, all you can see is the coming violence. Men will die here lots of them. Maybe you will die too. A shiver runs down your spine.

Wait here, George says as you approach the bridge. You and Isaac pull up while he rides slowly into a clearing. You watch as he scans the northern bank, searching for signs of the enemy. After a few moments, he brings his horse about and returns.

Well, private, you say. What do you see?

George shakes his head. No sign of the enemy, he begins. But its too quiet. No birds, no animals. Something doesnt feel right.

Isaac scoffs. No birds or animals? You cant be serious.

George looks at you. I dont see any reason not to cross, he says. Im just saying that something seems odd here.

The three of you set a brisk pace northward. The afternoon sun beats down on you as you ride along a wooded bluff. To the south and east, farmhouses dot the landscape. No one steps outside. The people here are afraid. So close to the Potomac River, which separates the North and South, their loyalties are torn. Many identify with the South, but Maryland stands with the Union.

The afternoon grows late as you finally reach a small wooden bridge, well north of your camp. The clip-clop of horses echoes loudly as you cross, but youre far north of the Confederate encampments. You cross without incident, then head south along the creeks eastern bank.

You ride into an open clearing. Suddenly, George stops. He throws up an arm, silently telling you to pull up as well.

It takes you a moment, but then you see it. Two gray-uniformed figures stand across the clearing. For a moment, all five of you remain frozen in place. Then, in a whirl of motion, one of the Confederates raises his rifle and fires.

The shot misses its mark. Before you can respond, George has his rifle in hand. Hes a brilliant marksman. He doesnt miss. His shot catches the Confederate shooter in the shoulder, spinning him around. Before either you or Isaac can shoot, the other officer flees into the dense woods.