The Battle Of Allan Pinkerton s Human Intelligence On The...

McClellan’s apprehension robbed him of victory and allowed Lee’s forces to consolidate prior to the Battle of Antietam (Davis, 1999). If McClellan had defied Allan Pinkerton’s human intelligence information claiming the Confederacy consisted of 120,000 soldiers, he could have defeated Lee prior to the battle of Antietam (Cannon, 1994). Lee relied heavily on J.E.B. Stuart’s scout unit for reconnaissance missions to gather intelligence on the enemy’s position and troop strength (Cannon, 1994). On September 17, 1862, the Union army attacked the Confederacy, with Union soldiers outnumbering Confederate soldiers 87,000 to 35,000 (Davis, 1999). Lee knew he was outnumbered, so he ordered Jackson’s two divisions to support Hood’s command on the Union left flank, while Walker supported the right (Cannon, 1994). McClellan’s battle plan consisted of simultaneous attacks from the left and right side, with a final attack to the Confederate center. Union Regiment commander Major General Brunside was late in initiating his attack, which threw off McClellan’s entire battle plan. The Confederate forces managed to stabilize their positon, while McClellan reassessed his position. He sent troops to attack the center of the Confederate army, despite staggering small arms fire (Stevens, 1994). The battle ended with overwhelming loses on both sides, leaving the soldiers broken and unmotivated to finish the battle (Davis, 1999). The battle concluded before sunset, with staggering losses