He was beaten at Antheim, Sharpesburg Maryland, and it was because General McLean was a wimp, that the Union army did not totally defeat him. So, Yes, it was Very Bad Mistake for General Lee in advance into Maryland, and it was an Even Worse Mistake to go into Pennsylvania and meet General Meade at Gettysburg.
It can be argued that it was a mistake for Lee to advance into Maryland because it divided his forces and made them vulnerable to attack. Additionally, it allowed the Union army to gather reinforcements and launch a successful counteroffensive at the Battle of Antietam. On the other hand, Lee believed that a major Confederate victory on Union soil would demoralize the North and potentially turn the tide of the war in favor of the South.
General Lee has his cavalry ford the Potomac River to screen his main army's advance to Frederick, Maryland. This advance begins on September 4, 1862.
On September 8, 1862, General Robert E. Lee was headquartered near Fredericktown, Maryland. He issued his proclamation to Maryland's citizens carrying the theme that the Federal government had violated their Constitutional rights. He cited the unlawful arrests and abuse the US government had laid upon the people of Maryland. Lee promised the people of Maryland a return to their rights that the US government had taken away from them unlawfully.
This battle of the American Civil War was fought in the border state of Maryland.
Antietam (Sharpsburg)
Most of Lee's battles were fought in Virginia, but Antietam was in Maryland, and Gettysburg was in Pennsylvania.
General Lee has his cavalry ford the Potomac River to screen his main army's advance to Frederick, Maryland. This advance begins on September 4, 1862.
Maryland
From a purely tactical perspective, it was a mistake for Confederate General Robert E. Lee to march the entire army to Frederick, Maryland before having cleared his supply line by capturing Harpers Ferry. The Union decision to make a stand there damaged Lee's plan and forced the devision of his army that gave Union General McClellan a step forward to derail Lee's plans.
After the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862, Lee's Army of Northern Virginia had to retreat from Maryland back to Virginia. Lee's evacuation from Maryland, for that moment of the war ended Confederate plans to take the war to the enemy, the Union.
Antietam. He was hoping to get beyond Maryland, into Pennsylvania.
Lee's goal was to break the Federal line to continue his advance.
On September 8, 1862, General Robert E. Lee was headquartered near Fredericktown, Maryland. He issued his proclamation to Maryland's citizens carrying the theme that the Federal government had violated their Constitutional rights. He cited the unlawful arrests and abuse the US government had laid upon the people of Maryland. Lee promised the people of Maryland a return to their rights that the US government had taken away from them unlawfully.
Camille Lee Anderson was born on October 7, 1974, in Maryland, USA.
Antietam
Rose Lee Maphis was born on December 29, 1922, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Gary Lee Leventhal was born on July 1, 1953, in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
This battle of the American Civil War was fought in the border state of Maryland.