The Battle of Antietam

The Battle of Antietam is to this day the bloodiest single day in American History. This extremely important conflict occurred on September 17, 1862. The battle involved troops of the United States' Army of the Potomac under General George McClellan, and the Army of Northern Virginia of the Confederate States of America under General Robert E. Lee. The battlefield is located near Antietam Creek, which is located near the Maryland town of Sharpsburg, just outside the Hagerstown. The casualties suffered by both sides totaled approximately 23,000 in a single day of combat. The fighting occurred in three major segments.


Morning

The morning battle occurred in Miller's cornfield with the Union forces attacking the Confederate lines. Control of the cornfield changed hands between Union and Confederate forces thirteen times and in the end the corn that once stood was completely destroyed.

Second Phase

The next phase of fighting occurred in the center of the battlefield along a sunken wagon trail that was a deep ditch where Confederate forces were positioned. Union Forces marched across the adjacent field and suffered extremely high casualties, until they outflanked the confederates and massacred the Confederates within the sunken road giving it the infamous name of "bloody lane".

End of the Battle

The last phase of the battle occurred when Union forces stormed across Burnside Bridge under heavy Confederate fire. The Union forces were about to outflank the entire Confederate Army when Texas troops under AP Hill saved the day by arriving on the battlefield late.

Aftermath

The Southern Army of Northern Virginia fled back across the Potomac River and back into the South, without being pursued by Union forces. This battle was technically a draw, but Lincoln would claim it as a Northern Victory and would use it to issue his Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in states that were in rebellion against the United States.