Civil War: September 14, 1862 The Battle of South Mountain – Rebels Hold, Lee retreats, McClellan dawdles!
Fox’s Gap at the battle of South Mountain, MD. Sunday, Sept. 14, 1862
Yesterday I wrote about Barton Mitchell’s discovery of Special Order 191 concerning Robert E Lee‘s troop movements during his Maryland Campaign in 1862. The discovery of the orders provided information to Gen George McClellan, then commander of the Union Army allowing him to locate and pursue Lee’s troops. Lee had divided his troops and sent the troops under Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws to western Maryland to capture Harper’s Ferry. To continue his pursuit McClellan’s troops and stop McLaws and Lee. McClellan’s troops had to cross South Mountain, which is the name for the extension of the Blue Ridge Mountains into and through the western portions of Maryland. There are three major gap’s through the mountains. From south to north they are Crampton’s Gap, Turner’s Gap and Fox’s Gap.
