Causes Of The Battle Of Antietam

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The Battle of Antietam combat began on September 17 and lasted for 12 hours, until General Lee's forces made a southerly retreat. Union troops, led by Major General George B. McClellan, clashed with General Robert E. Lee's Confederate troops near Sharpsburg, Maryland. In August 1862, the Confederacy scored an important victory in the Second Battle of Bull Run in Virginia. Confederate General Robert E. Lee decided to strike while the North was still reeling from the defeat. On September, Lee led his troops into Maryland, a Union state where slavery was legal. Reaching Maryland, Lee divided his army. But Union General McClellan had received word of Lee's plans in advance. The two sides engaged in a battle on September 14. By the time the battle

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