The Battle of Antietam

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In the summer of 1862, the confederates found themselves as the aggressors. In the Eastern Theater, Lee’s army of Northern Virginia had driven the Union Armies away from the Confederate capital, Richmond and was preparing to invade Maryland. In the western theater, the confederate armies were also moving strong, into Kentucky. Due to the war France and Britain were feeling the strain as cotton from the southern states was starting to diminish.
President Lincoln was thinking of taking a risky step to seal victory. At this point in time he came to the realization that he needed to move in a different direction. The strategic goal to restore the Union was not a good enough reason to keep the Northern states interested and behind the war. Lincoln decided to offer the North a new reason to stay in the fight and the British to stay out of the war, however he needed a good victory under his belt to use for this change in strategic planning. The problem was how to break the news of this change in strategy before the Confederates tore through the union on the battlefield and effected his troops morale.
A month prior Generals Lee and Jackson were crossing guns with Pope at Manassas#. Lee moved his army across the Potomac River into Maryland on September 4, 1862. At this point in time his objective was to claim Harrisburg.# On his way he spread his troops around Maryland to show everyone his strength, gathering supplies#, rounding up volunteers and he also managed to threaten Baltimore, Washington and even Philadelphia. Lee’s plan was that McClellan would eventually come out of Washington to fight him and he would have plenty of time to choose the ground that he wanted to fight on and secure the southern victory.
Lee choose the Shenandoah Valley as his supply route. Unfortunately the Union controlled Harpers ferry at the northern opening of the valley. This Union force could cut off the confederate supply route of wagon trains loaded with ammunition, which could not be obtained locally. Lee decided that harpers ferry would have to be taken in order to continue on. Lee ordered Jackson to lead three columns to capture Harpers Ferry. Once Jackson was finished in Harpers Ferry he would move back to rejoin the rest of the army.
September 2, 1862 was also the day in which McClellan again regained control and command of the union forces in Virginia and Washington. The next...

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...de’s Corps became the only attack. McClellan ordered Burnside to keep charging a stone bridge. There were 550 Confederate soldiers sitting on a hill sniping these men out. Burnside eventually succeeded in crossing the bridge and wiped out the Confederates and made their way up the ridge. In the dusty distance a large army appeared on Burnside’s flank. Burnside thought these were reinforcements. The confederate army wearing union uniforms# attacked at the right time and place sending Burnsides men back to the bridge they had fought 14 hours to claim.
The sun finally set on the bloodiest battle that this country has ever seen. All in all 12,400 union casualties and 10,300 Confederate casualties#
Although neither side really “won” this bloody battle at Antietam, this battle had a very big significance on America. The next day heavily battered Lee withdrew. This was just the battle that President Lincoln had been waiting for.
On September 22, 1862, President Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation#. The proclamation declared that unless the Southern states returned to the union by January 1, 1863, all the slaves in those states “shall be then, thenceforward, and forever, free.”

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