"Connecticut at Antietam", John W. Schildt,
Antietam Publications, Chewsville, Md, 1988
GENERAL ISAAC P. RODMAN
The 8th, llth, 16th. and 4th RI were engaged in the action south of town at the Lower or Rohrbach Bridge. All three units were in the Third Division of the Ninth Corps. The division commander was Isaac P. Rodman. The brigade commander was Edward Harland.
Isaac P. Rodman was born in South Kingston, Rhode Island, on August 18, 1822. His father was a successful business man and carefully trained Isaac to follow in his footsteps. Joining his father in the industry he displayed hard work and honesty. As a young man he was elected to several town offices.'
On June 15, 1847, Rodman took as his bride Miss Sally Arnold. To this union five children were born. None of them were beyond their mid teens in 1862.
Rodman was a Quaker. The threat of war troubled him very much, and he had a tough decision regarding entering the military. However, he felt he could not enjoy the comforts of home and family while others marched off to the conflict. He gave up the family business, studied military books, and raised troops. On June 1, 1861, he was named captain of a company in the Second Rhode Island.
In the summer, Rodman and the men of the regiment took part in the battle of Bull Run. The Second Rhode Island suffered greatly, losing their colonel and 362 men. Rodman was noted for his coolness and valor on the battlefield.
In October, Rodman was appointed as the lieutenant colonel of the newly organized Fourth Rhode Island Infantry. Eleven days later, on October 30, he was named colonel. His leadership, discipline and efficiency soon produced a good military unit. The Fourth went with Burnside to North Carolina, taking part in the battle of Roanoke Island and New Bern. The charge in the last battle made Rodman a hero. On April 28, 1862, Rodman was promoted to brigadier general.
Stricken with typhoid fever, Rodman returned to Rhode Island to recover. Regaining his health, he rejoined the army and on August 6, was given command of a division in the Ninth Corps.
COLONEL EDWARD HARLAND
Edward Harland was born in Norwich, Connecticut, on June 24, 1862. Graduating from Yale in 1853, he studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1855. When the war came, he was mustered into service as a captain in the Third Connecticut. This was a ninety day regiment that performed bravely at First Manassas. In September, Harland was named commander of the Eighth Connecticut. He led this unit during Burnside's expedition to North Carolina in the spring of 1862. In the Maryland Campaign, Harland assumed command of the brigade comprised of the three Connecticut regiments and one from Rhode Island.
