Antitam
The Battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862. The United States Army of the Potomac led by General George B. McClellan fought against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee. The battle was fought along the Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Both of the armies were densely concentrated in the Sharpsburg area, and it was a very bloody battle. The Union Army lost over twelve thousand men, while the Confederate Army lost around ten thousand men. General Robert E. Lee narrowly escaped defeat this battle and the lack of men cause him and his army to retreat back in to Virginia. Lee had good reason for wanting to bring Maryland into the Confederacy. With having Maryland, he would have good location to attack the major cities like Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. It would also give him a chance to get to the rich farmland of the North that would give his army supplies of food. Lee split up his army of fifty thousand men, sending “Stonewall” Jackson to capture the Union arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. He told James Longstreet to move north towards Hagerstown, Maryland. Smaller groups were left with the task of guarding against McClellan’s troops. Even with all the planning, his adventure s . . .
On September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, began. During the time McClellan took to study the situation, Jackson’s forces rejoined Lee, and another Confederate division under the command of General A. There was a massive attack of cannon and rifle fire. Instead of being treated like heroes as Lee thought, they were treated like invaders. Mansfield was killed almost instantly, but that did no stop the fighting that just raged on and for hours the pattern attack and retreat was just repeated. Hooker threw his troops up against the Rebels, causing heavy losses. Because of the many men that were killed or wounded, the Battle of Antietam is called “the bloodiest single day of the war”. eemed to be doomed from the very beginning. Since this was the site of some of the most bitter and desperate fighting of the day, that area was called The Bloody Lane. At this point, McClellan had another chance to end the battle just by sending a large-scale attack from their high ground, but the call never came. The Union troops just kept on pushing forward and finally reached a position that overlooked the entire battlefield. General Joseph Hooker’s men crushed the Rebel troops. Even the secessionist from Maryland did not like the idea of the Confederacy invading their state. Neither side seemed to get the clear advantage.
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