Home > Facts > Civil War Facts > Battle of Antietam Facts

Battle of Antietam Facts

Battle of Antietam Facts
The Battle of Antietam is considered the bloodiest day in the history of American war, with over 23,000 soldiers wounded, killed, or missing. The Union held off the invasion of the Confederacy, although President Abraham Lincoln was very unhappy that the Confederates were allowed to retreat back to Virginia. Still, the battle was declared a Union victory and Lincoln followed it with the Emancipation Proclamation, which officially made slavery the primary cause of the war.
Interesting Battle of Antietam Facts:
The Battle of Antietam took place near Antietam Creek in Sharpsbug, Maryland.
The battle was fought on September 17 1862.
This was South's first invasion of a state in the North, although Maryland was a border state and many people of Maryland were unhappy about being part of the Union.
Most of the war had been fought in Virginia, at this point. Robert E. Lee thought that by fighting in Maryland, he could win support from the people of Maryland, as well as feed his troops with food from Maryland farms.
The Confederates were feeling very confident going into the battle because they had just defeated the Union at the Second Battle of Bull Run.
General Lee had hoped to defeat the Union on Union soil and force the North to give up on the war.
The Union won the Battle of Antietam, although both sides experienced heavy casualties.
With 23,000 casualties, this was the bloodiest single day of the Civil War.
General George McClellan was fired not long after the battle, despite the victory. President Lincoln was unhappy that McClellan let the overmatched Confederates retreat back to Virginia rather than destroying the army completely.
Union troops marched to Antietam from Washington, D.C. to stop Lee's Army of the Potomac.
Much of the fighting was done at close range. Most soldiers were within 100 yards or less of each other.
The battle lasted about 12 hours and the front line of fighting was basically unchanged from when the battle began.
The Union victory gave President Lincoln the opportunity he was looking for to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862.
The Union victory also kept France and Great Britain from recognizing the Confederate States of America as an independent nation and providing aid to the South. They were close to doing so because they wanted to resume importing southern cotton.


Related Links:
Facts
Civil War Facts
Animals Facts
Civil War Facts for Kids
Civil War Timeline
Emancipation Proclamation Facts
Civil War
Virginia State
The Second Battle of Bull Run Facts