The Battle of Antietam
September 17, 1862
Oncoming Battle
General Robert E. Lee, as
commanding officer,
marched his troops north to
initiate an attack on the
Union Army. His strategic
plan was to lower their
morale by defeating them on
their own soil.
Near the city of Sharpsburg,
the Battle of Antietam, or the
Battle of Sharpsburg, took
place on September 17,
1862. This day was the single
bloodiest day in American
history.
Confederacy
General Robert E. Lee
The Confederate Army
marched north to Maryland
hoping to make a blow on
Union terrain; stone fences
were used for cover while
engaged in battle.
Prepared, the Confederate
Army had appropriately set
defenses, and as needed, new
supplies and recruits were
sought from neighboring states.
• 41,000 troops
• 1,550 killed; 7,750
wounded; 1,020 missing
or captured; 10,320 total
casualties
The Union
Major General George B. McClellan
Informed of the Confederate
Army’s approach through a
discovered battle plan at a
Confederate campsite, the
Union Army made way to
Antietam to attack General
Lee’s main force.
Waiting a few days, the Union
attacked. Though armed with
enemy secrets, the Union’s
weak strategy of holding
headquarters too far away from
the battle gave them less
control.
• 87,000 troops
• 2,100 killed; 9,550
wounded; 750 missing
or captured; 12,400 total
casualties
Post Battle
There was no true victorious side, though the Union was able to claim
victory, as the Confederacy withdrew into Virginia. The Union had more
than one opportunity to make their victory complete. McClellan was given
Lee’s special orders for how his troops were to operate. McClellan had not
acted.
For months before the battle, President Abraham Lincoln had been
gathering together a proclamation to free slaves from people who rebelled
against the Union in the seceded states from the Union. After the battle, the
proclamation finally came forth as the Emancipation Proclamation…because
of the occurrences during the battle. The bloodiest day in American history
for a war within a country itself isn’t great. The Emancipation Proclamation
changed the war by putting slavery at the forefront.
The Battle of Antietam
Cory and Jessica
Social Studies
04/16/08