And to think I drove right through it.....

Well, after doing tons of research and getting my hands on the book "Guide to the Battle of Antietam" by Jay Luvaas and Harold W. Nelson, I find that I drove right through Turner's Gap on my way home from Antietam. Apparently its on Alt. Rt. 40 (the National Road) just a few miles east of Boonesboro. I now wish that I had spent more time looking at signs and less time feeling tired.

I found a little bit of Gen. George B. McClellan's Official Report where he talks about Turner's Gap. Here is what he had to say:
"The South Mountain range near Turner's Pass averages perhaps 1000 feet in height, and formas a strong natural military barrier. The practicable passes are not numerous and are readily defensible, the gaps abounding in fine positions. Turner's Pass is the more prominent, being that by which the National Road crosses the mountains. It was necessarily indicated as the route of advance of our main army." O.R. XIX, Part 1, pp. 24-27

If you are on Alt Rt 40 and go west through Middletown, its about 3 miles away. When you turn onto Bolivar Road and look up 40, you can see it. I suppose that I will have to take a trip back down and check this out.

There are just a few things that I really know about what happened at Turner's Gap:
1) Colquitt's Brigade was there (D.H. Hill's Division, Jackson's Corps)
2) It was Hooker's objective
3) Union losses: 328 killed
1463 wounded
4) Confederate losses: est. 3000 men
5) John Gibbon's Brigade (the Iron Brigade) concentrated on this area
6) The fight took place on September 14, 1862

There are so many other things that I need to find out. Why was the fight there? Which regiments fought there? What really happened? Which directions did they come and go? and the list goes on and on. As I find this stuff out, I will post it, but until then, these questions are being placed out there for the universe to answer!