The Battle of Antietam by Annie Welden

           After confederate general Robert E Lee defeated the Union's forces in the Second Battle of Bull Run, Lee's forces started marching from their capital, Richmond, up to Maryland.  Unfortunately for the Confederacy, Lee had to send half of his troops to go fight at Harpers Ferry for Stonewall Jackson.  This greatly depleted the number of his troops.  Even without half of his men, this was still the South’s first attempt to penetrate the Northern states.  This Northern march was part of the Confederacy’s Maryland Campaign of 1862.  This coming battle was very important  for both sides of the war because the outcome would turn the war in favor of one side or the other.

  If Lee won, he was planning to encourage foreign intervention from France and Britain. If the confederates got the aid of those other coutries, they would have had an immediate advantage over the Union.  Also, if Lee won, he was planning to encourage the border states to secede and join the confederacy.  These states gave the Union a buffer  and also showed that slave states could get along with the union.  The confederacy was in dire need of supplies for the army and the border states had manufacturing.  Also, the confederacy wanted the border states' large population for support.  

General McClellan of the Union army were positioned by Lincoln to be the protectors of Washington DC.  They were planning on meeting Lee’s forces, and when they got word that the Union had won Harpers Ferry, they were encouraged to stay in Sharpsburg, Maryland and fight. General Mcclellan got very lucky when one of his men found Lee's lost battle plans. Now, Mcclellan knew every single move Lee was planning to make.  Lee was planning to attack on the left and right flanks first and then come through the center of the battle with his men.  General McClellan knew this and it gave him a great advantage.

Mcclellan  stopped Lee's  forces at Antietam and an intensely bloody battle took place on September 17, 1862.  McClellan had General Hooker and General Burnside fighting alongside him.  Hooker’s forces actually began the battle by attacking the Confederate’s left flank. Those fights took place around Dunker’s church and the

Sunken Road

.  Then later in the day, Burnside’s troops went over the bridge across Antietam Creek and attacked the right flank of the Confederates.  This allowed other troops to come through and attack the middle of the Confederate troops.  These many advances were uncoordinated, yet the Union still won the battle.  Also, they won this battle with many of McClellan’s men not being put into action. Even though they beat the confederates, they suffered greatly.  Just from this one day battle, there were 23,000 casualties from both sides.  This amount of casualties caused the Battle of Antietam to be known as one of the bloodiest days in American history.  Lee finally ordered his troops to return back across the Potomac. 

Because the union won, it gave Lincoln the ability and the support to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.  This proclamation made the civil war an issue over slavery. Now it was a war over morality rather than a war to simply preserve the union.  This battle of Antietam was a complete turning point in the war because not only did the border states remain with the union, France and Britain decided to remain neutral and out of the war.  Also, Antietam made Lincoln launch the Emancipation Proclamation.  This small, One-day (twelve-hour) battle completely turned the war in favor of the union.

Works Cited:

 "Battle "The Battle of Antietam - Civil War Battle of Antietam." American History From About. Web. 02 Dec. 2011. <http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarbattles/p/cwbattle_antie.htm>.

 "The B"The Battle of Antietam." Experience Your America. National Park Service US Department of the Interior. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nps.gov/anti/historyculture/upload/Battle%20history.pdf>.

"Battle "The Battle of Antietam — History.com This Day in History — 9/17/1862." History.com — History Made Every Day — American & World History. Web. 02 Dec. 2011. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-antietam>.