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September 17, 1862

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What happened in the battle of Antietam?

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What happened in the battle of Antietam?

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On September 16 1862 Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan and his Union Army confronted Robert E Lee at Sparksburg Maryland. On the 17th the Union organized a large attach on Lees forces. Vicious attacked were coming from both the North and the South sides in a large cornfield and the woods to the west. Although the South was largely outnumbered, they held up a huge fight. Eventually the Union penetrated the Confederate center which was a huge breakthrough for the Union. This did not last long because the Confederate came back with even stronger advances. The Union pushed over a bullet-strewn stone bridge over the Antietam Creek. The Confederate were very glad to see the Harper Ferry Division show up when they did. Although being extremely outnumbered, Lee used all of his troops for this battle while McClellan sent less than three quarters of his forces. Through the night both sides tended to their injured and strengthened their lines. The South and North had very crippling casualties and Lee moved his forced to a safer location. Although Lincoln wanted McClellan to pursue the wounded Confederate, he did not. The Battle of Antietam is considered a tie from the point of view of the military even though the Union claimed victory. This hard-fought battle drove Lee’s forces from Maryland and would give Lincoln the victory that he needed before delivering the Emancipation Proclamation.

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What were the after effects of this battle

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What were the after effects of this battle

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This battle was “the battle Lincoln needed” to deliver the emancipation proclamation. The emancipation proclamation was the freeing of slaves behind Confederate lines although it did not apply to areas occupied by the Union or slave states in the Union. This battle showed the North’s strength and allowed them to deliver this law and offer the south a choice. This also allowed the North to gain full control of Maryland. This was the last battle before the emancipation proclamation and the north took a position of power by allowing the south the option to surrender. They let the confederates flee and this show of mercy made them look better in the eyes of the people.

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“We were finally however ordered to lie down in a cornfield & stray shot and shell began to whiz over our heads and burst around us. Of course everyone thought it incumbent upon him to dodge every time he heard a chirra whoo even though it was flying a hundred feet above us. This feeling soon passed away however and the boys were decidedly too anxious to get up and see what was going on. They were soon satisfied. We were ordered to get up and throw off our bundles (I in this way lost my rubber and woolen blankets & have not seen them since) & march to the left into the woods [East Woods]. Lying just in front of our lines was a great number of dead and wounded. One poor fellow lay just before us with one leg shot off; the other shattered and otherwise badly wounded; fairly shrieking with pain.”

-Lt. Sebastian Duncan, Jr.

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Battle of Antietam page - battle maps, history articles, photos, and preservation news on this important 1862 Civil War battle in Maryland.

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https://docs.google.com/document/d/10QFtP8TynMMnjxMrVNear5RCQ4T7nfhMHJsWpDTWmqI/edit