Texans suffer record casualties at Antietam

On Sep. 16, 1862 Texans fought and died in a blood-soaked cornfield at the Battle of Antietam.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Gen. Robert E. Lee invaded Maryland six days after winning the rematch at Bull Run.  His objectives, endorsed by President Jefferson Davis, were to bring that border state into the Confederacy and the enemy, whose morale was at an all-time low, to the bargaining table.

The Army of Northern Virginia crossed the Potomac on Sep. 5, 1862 and bivouacked two days later at Frederick.  Believing he was safe from attack, Lee sent Stonewall Jackson southeast to Harpers Ferry, James Longstreet northwest to Boonsboro and D.H. Hill to the rear to protect the wagon and artillery trains.