Dawn broke over the rolling fields of Sharpsburg with a pale mist that could not soften the violence to come. On September 17, 1862, Montgomery Dent Corse, Colonel of the 17th Virginia Infantry, led his men into the maelstrom of Antietam—the bloodiest single day in American history.
Corse was no stranger to war. He had already fought at First Manassas and through the brutal Seven Days’ battles. But Antietam was different. The Cornfield, the Sunken Road, and Burnside’s Bridge became killing grounds where neither side could claim clear advantage. Amidst this chaos, the 17th Virginia held its ground as part of Kemper’s Brigade, aligned under Longstreet’s Corps.
As musket fire thundered and artillery shells churned the earth, Corse rode among his soldiers, steadying them with the calm authority he had carried since his days as captain in the Mexican War. It was here, in the smoke and din of Antietam, that he was struck down, wounded, and taken prisoner. Though briefly confined, his valor and endurance would see him exchanged and promoted to brigadier general—a recognition forged in the crucible of combat.
The battle itself ended inconclusively, but for Montgomery Dent Corse, Antietam marked both sacrifice and survival. After the war, he returned to Alexandria, resuming his career in banking and civic life. Today, the soldier, banker, and public figure rests in peace at St. Paul’s Cemetery in the Wilkes Street Cemetery Complex, among thousands of stories that together tell the nation’s past.