General William Franklin USA (1823-1903)
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On September 13, 1862, William B. Franklin became a key player in the Union effort to foil the first Confederate invasion of the North. General Franklin's orders included a series of lengthy and detailed instructions, not the least of which was the reinforcement of the Union garrison at Harpers Ferry. But before that could happen, Franklin had to seize Crampton's gap on top of South Mountain, drive the Confederates into the Potomac River to the south and prepare for the possibility of another enemy force marching toward him from the north. Franklin outnumbered his opponent almost four to one. But on September 15, the day of Harpers Ferry's surrender, he mistakenly reported, "They outnumber me two to one. It will of course not answer to pursue the enemy under these circumstances."
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