September 17, 1862 not only marked the bloodiest battle of the American Civil War, but also defined the Battle of Antietam to be the bloodiest day in American history. On this infamous day General Robert E. Lee, of the Confederate army, led his troops to Sharpsburg, Maryland, only to be met by General George B. McClellan and the Union army already defensively positioned. This battle initiated a turning point in the war to the Union’s advantage. With a result of more than 22,000 causalities, this gory event enlightened the nation not only on the atrocities of war, but also paved the way for peace by creating an opportunity for President Lincoln’s to announce the Emancipation Proclamation.
Following the Union’s success at the Second Battle of Manassas, General Lee and his army advanced north to attempt the first Confederate invasion on Union soil. If this battle’s outcome ended with a Confederate victory, the Civil War would have developed into a very different conclusion. A Southern win on Northern soul would lift the moral of the South and encouraged a Confederate success in the war all together. The Union triumph was crucial in the war because without it the Confederates had arranged multiple new assets up their sleeves. A Northern win successfully ended General Lee’s victory streak while also terminating Confederate efforts to invade northern states. The photographs from the Battle of Antietam alerted Americans that the war was not a source of entertainment, but a gruesome fight. Without these photos shown to the world, the Confederates would have gains the foreign allegiance of Britain and France. Luckily after being shown the horrific results of the battle, the external allies found their intervention to be unwise, keeping the Civil War a domestic affair. Proceeding the positive outcome for the Union, President Lincoln took the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the enslaved. The Battle of Antietam wasn’t all positive results. …show more content…
The aftermath of the battle caused even the toughest soldiers to become scarred by the events that took place of the fields of Antietam. Of battle casualties, Antietam took a total of 12,400 Union lives and 10,300 Confederates. The battle took a heavy toll on the hearts of Americans. The farm paths previously occupied buy Antietam citizens now served a different purpose, a road for the dead. The Sunken Road, or the Bloody Lane marked the spot where Northerners battled Southerners for more than four hours near Antietam Creek. This pathway carved a tricky strategic positioning for Confederate troops which the Union took advantage of. Soldiers fired their weapons killing countlessly claiming more than 5,000 people at the end of the day. General Lee’s reaction was recorded within a message to the Army of Northern Virginia stating: “…I was astonished to observe our troops moving along the front and passing over what appeared to be a long column of the enemy without paying it any attention whatever. I borrowed a glass from an officer, and discovered this to be actually a column of the enemy’s dead and wounded lying along the hollow road- afterward known as Bloody Lane.” The loss of life presented on the fields on Antietam not only highlighted the devastations of the war, but shocked the entire nation. The two opposing generals of this battle were General Robert E. Lee and General George McClellan. For one of the most cautious officers to ever wear a Union uniform, General McClellan came by a stroke of luck that without this asset, would have costed him the battle. On the eve of the Battle of Antietam, a Union solider discovered the Confederates marching orders and strategy General Lee plans to use for his assault. The plan was to divide the Confederate army into three troops to Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, and Hagerstown, Maryland, which gave the Union an advantage to know Confederate positions. Although McClellan’s cautiousness was a weakness for the Army of Northern Virginia, the Union outnumbered the Confederates two- to -one. After the troops led by General Stonewall Jackson surrendered to the Union, the quickly arrived at the cornfields of Antietam to reinforce Southern troops anyway possible. The battle began when the Union striked Southern forces from the left flank. This attack fought with bayonets, rifles, pistols, and more was the deadliest
Following the Union’s success at the Second Battle of Manassas, General Lee and his army advanced north to attempt the first Confederate invasion on Union soil. If this battle’s outcome ended with a Confederate victory, the Civil War would have developed into a very different conclusion. A Southern win on Northern soul would lift the moral of the South and encouraged a Confederate success in the war all together. The Union triumph was crucial in the war because without it the Confederates had arranged multiple new assets up their sleeves. A Northern win successfully ended General Lee’s victory streak while also terminating Confederate efforts to invade northern states. The photographs from the Battle of Antietam alerted Americans that the war was not a source of entertainment, but a gruesome fight. Without these photos shown to the world, the Confederates would have gains the foreign allegiance of Britain and France. Luckily after being shown the horrific results of the battle, the external allies found their intervention to be unwise, keeping the Civil War a domestic affair. Proceeding the positive outcome for the Union, President Lincoln took the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the enslaved. The Battle of Antietam wasn’t all positive results. …show more content…
The aftermath of the battle caused even the toughest soldiers to become scarred by the events that took place of the fields of Antietam. Of battle casualties, Antietam took a total of 12,400 Union lives and 10,300 Confederates. The battle took a heavy toll on the hearts of Americans. The farm paths previously occupied buy Antietam citizens now served a different purpose, a road for the dead. The Sunken Road, or the Bloody Lane marked the spot where Northerners battled Southerners for more than four hours near Antietam Creek. This pathway carved a tricky strategic positioning for Confederate troops which the Union took advantage of. Soldiers fired their weapons killing countlessly claiming more than 5,000 people at the end of the day. General Lee’s reaction was recorded within a message to the Army of Northern Virginia stating: “…I was astonished to observe our troops moving along the front and passing over what appeared to be a long column of the enemy without paying it any attention whatever. I borrowed a glass from an officer, and discovered this to be actually a column of the enemy’s dead and wounded lying along the hollow road- afterward known as Bloody Lane.” The loss of life presented on the fields on Antietam not only highlighted the devastations of the war, but shocked the entire nation. The two opposing generals of this battle were General Robert E. Lee and General George McClellan. For one of the most cautious officers to ever wear a Union uniform, General McClellan came by a stroke of luck that without this asset, would have costed him the battle. On the eve of the Battle of Antietam, a Union solider discovered the Confederates marching orders and strategy General Lee plans to use for his assault. The plan was to divide the Confederate army into three troops to Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, and Hagerstown, Maryland, which gave the Union an advantage to know Confederate positions. Although McClellan’s cautiousness was a weakness for the Army of Northern Virginia, the Union outnumbered the Confederates two- to -one. After the troops led by General Stonewall Jackson surrendered to the Union, the quickly arrived at the cornfields of Antietam to reinforce Southern troops anyway possible. The battle began when the Union striked Southern forces from the left flank. This attack fought with bayonets, rifles, pistols, and more was the deadliest