The Bloodiest Battle of the Civil War The Battle of Antietam had a tremendous impact on the American people's future. Between the other battles of the Civil War this was a turning point in history as a result of President Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation and to expand the primary interest of the war unity nationwide, also the involvement of abolishing slavery.
Once the fighting started in 1861, the Union’s commitment to maintain border slave states such as Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland and Missouri in the Union had imposed caution on the unsettled controversy of independence. In 1862, the Confederate army under the command of Robert E. Lee had made devastating victories in the North that declined their morality and persuaded President Lincoln to make a more courageous step in winning the war and the abolishment of slavery.
The development of the war put pressure on this issue.
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Lee formed a consequential decision that he would invade Maryland and force the Union army to leave northern Virginia. Diminishing the pressure of the Confederate Capital along with hopefully securing the support from Great Britain and France. Lee pushed his ragged, barefoot, and famished troops north into western Maryland for those and other reasons. “ Since entering Maryland the men had lived off ripened corn and green apples. The heat, the diet, and the consequential onset illnesses had left many good men strewn along the roadside” one Confederate officer wrote.
The Union and Confederate armies clashed near Sharpsburg, Maryland also known as the Battle of Antietam. Before the fighting began most of Robert Lee’s army, who had been under the command of Thomas J. Jackson, were sprawled among the limestone of the West Woods since daylight. Captain Michael Shuler writes “Sept. 16th Tuesday Reveille a little over sunup. Marched 15 miles….” The march from Harper’s Ferry left over half of the Brigade strung out and wheezing along the country
The battle of Antietam was the most important battle in the Civil War because of many various reasons. There were three reasons why the battle of Antietam was important. The reasons were because of the Emancipation Proclamation; it was turning point for North, and it strengthened the North.
Lee had outlined his whole strategy and told of the troubles the confederacy was having in Special Order 191, he copied and sent it out to all commanders. Lee also sent these orders to one of his division commanders that had been detached. On September 13, 1862 a Union corporal found these orders wrapped in three cigars at an abandoned Confederate camp near Frederick. These orders were quickly delivered to McClellan and this gave him a unique opportunity. Despite this knowledge McClellan still believed that Lee’s troops outnumbered his own. Word of this reached Lee and he dispatched the long street corps to perform damage control at south mountain. Lee ordered the remainder of his troops to concentrate near the Potomac on a little crossroads on Antietam Creek, In the town of Sharpsburg#.
The Battle of Antietam took place on 17 September 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle was fought between General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and General McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. Although the battle lasted only 12 hours, it was a significant point of the American Civil War, as well as the deadliest day in history. Tactically the battle was considered a draw, but the North claimed strategic victory and President Lincoln published the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing hundreds of thousands of slaves.
Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, uttered the words,"That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." This meaningful sentence perfectly represents the Battle of Antietam as a turning point in the Civil War and its effect on America decades later. The small step was one man 's step on the moon just like the Battle of Antietam was just another battle during the Civil War, but they were short and impactful events that revolutionized their fields. America 's advances in science and technology would not be the same without that one step on the moon. Similarly, without this one battle, America 's modern beliefs on slavery would be completely divergent. The Battle of Antietam was an event that completely altered the course of the Civil War, terminated Lee 's courageous Invasion of the North, made the Civil War "a war of slavery", and led to the Emancipation Proclamation.
Robert E. Lee’s army consisting of 55,000 men entered Maryland on September 3rd, following their win at Second Bull Run. Strengthened by their success, Lee then invaded Maryland intentionally to run with the invasion of Kentucky.
The Battle of Antietam was fought in Sharpsburg Maryland, September 16 – 18, 1862. Major General George B. McClellan and the Union Army waged war against Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The Union forces were much larger than those of the Confederates, but they held their ground. The Battle of Antietam was considered a draw, but Lincoln and the Union claimed victory. The battle forced General Lee out of Maryland and paved the way for Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The fighting on the 17th of September was the bloodiest single day in American military
Splitting his army into two, Gen. Lee sent half of his Army under the command of General Thomas Jackson. General Jackson’s orders were to capture Hagerstown and the other half to push forward to Boonsboro in an attempt to break the will of the union. General McClellan and the Union troops had the honor of being responsible for defending Washington, D.C., against Lee’s invasion. Upon discovering the layout of Gen. Lee’s campaign “rolled up in three cigars” (Lost Order, Lost Cause. Central Intelligence Agency Sept.93) Tired and worn out from travel both Confederate and Union armies congregated onto each side of the Antietam Creek from the morning September 15 into the evening of September 16 awaiting and plotting in what was to
The battle of Antietam took place near the Antietam Creek in Maryland and was the victory that stopped the Confederacy’s advance on the north. Before Antietam, Confederacy’s forces lead by Robert E lee was crushing the union forces despite the superior numbers of the north and the superior industry of the north. But this all changed
22, 717 total casualties, the Battle of Antietam will go down as the bloodiest battle in American history, even surpassing Pearl Harbor and even to the surprise of many, D-Day. This battle was one of many in the Maryland campaign for the Confederacy, but this battle will cost the Confederacy many lives that will be of more significance to the Confederacy then the Union, as they have a larger population to pull troops from. The Battle of Antietam was fought in the city of Sharpsburg, Maryland in September 17,1862. There are many factors that played into the outcome of the battle, such as the advantages and cons of each army, the battle and tactics used, and the overall conclusion of the Battle of Antietam.
Lee knew what his next would be. This next move would be stated in his new orders to his generals, Special Orders 191, more famously known as the Lost Order. The orders would summarize his plans for the Army of Northern Virginia and divide the regiment into four parts, each of which would go and overtake garrisons and achieve supplies, then meet up with him and march north, to put it shortly. Unfortunately for Lee, these plans were lost and then stolen by the Union, specifically by the 27th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. These orders, which were found rolled up inside of some cigars, contained information as to what the Confederacy would do at the upcoming Battle of South Mountain and plans after that. The Lost Order was extremely crucial to the Confederates’ loss at South Mountain and Antietam, and could have possibly lost the Confederates the
The Bloody Antietam took place when an irresponsible confederate officer had left Confederate officer Lee´s battle plans at a campsite. A Union soldier had spotted the battle plans wrapped around 3 cigars, and he handed them over to the Union commander George McClellan. McClellan started arranging his troops as there were 60,000 active soldiers and 15,000 soldiers being reserved. Word got around and every move that the confederate made was blocked by the union. At one point McClellan and Lee´s army met near the city of Sharpsburg and that is when the Battle of Antietam began. It was the morning of September 17 when the battle began. General Joseph Hooker led the Union troops to attack the forces of Stonewall Jackson in a huge
The Battle of Antietam began on September 17, 1862, in Sharpsburg, Washington County, Maryland. General George B. McClellan was the commander of the Union Army while General Robert E. Lee led the Confederate Army. General Robert E. Lee advanced into Maryland and planned to invade up into Pennsylvania. Lee planned a surprise attack against Union forces, but the battle plans were found wrapped around cigars by a Union soldier. On September 16, 1862, General George B. McClellan and the Confederate Army led by General Lee faced each other in Sharpsburg, Maryland along Antietam Creek. It was not until the next day that the battle officially began. General Joseph Hooker was the first to attack the Confederacy. Despite General Lee being outnumbered
The Battle of Antietam took place on September 16, 1862. Major General George B. McClellan’s Union Army of the Potomac confronts Robert E. Lee’s army of Northern Virginia in Sharpsburg Maryland. On the morning of September 17 a Union corps launched a powerful attack on Lee’s left flank thus beginning the Battle of Antietam. This first attack was led by Major General Joseph Hooker’s. This battle was named the single bloodiest day in American history. Both the Union and Confederates led extremely violent attacks towards each other in Miller’s cornfield and also the West Woods. Despite the Unions advantage in numbers Stonewall Jackson’s army held their ground that morning near the Dunker Church. In the meantime in the center of the battlefield
The civil war was a conflict about the expansion of slavery into western territories. The compromise of 1820 and 1850 tried to maintain an unbalanced government between free and union state. The southern states seceded from the union because they feared Abraham Lincoln in 1860 when he got elected. The war started 1861 through 4 long 4 bloody years later. The Northern Union states fought against the southern Confederate states. The northern Union won the civil war. Their was 620,000 death toll. The battle of Antietam took place in Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle of Antietam was the first battle in the civil war to be fought on northern soil. The impact of Antietam was that it turned out to be the bloodiest day in American History.
The Battle of Antietam was a battle between the North and the South where there was at least 23,000 soldiers on both sides were either killed, wounded, or missing. It was the bloodiest battle in the history of the United States which compiled of more deaths than the Revolutionary war, the war of 1812, and the Mexican - American war. After the victory for the North, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which was a document that freed the slaves in the rebellion states, but did not include the border states. This was the turning point in the civil war because they were not only fighting to perserve the Union, but also to abolish