...The Battle of Antietam On September 17, 1862 Robert E. Lee’s Army invaded the north to stage a devastating attack in an effort to try to end the civil war. The Battle of Antietam resulted and changed the nature of the war because it put the Union Army on a path towards victory. The Battle of Antietam, which is sometimes referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg, is commonly referred to as one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. This battle’s name was derived from the area in which it was fought; around the areas of Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek. As a youth I saw a movie based on this battle and was not even aware of it was based on actual events. I watched this movie again recently in an attempt to gain further knowledge about this specific battle. The 1989 Movie Glory, was based on the first formal unit of the Army that was comprised of only African American men. This movie was told from the point of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, its commanding officer during the American Civil War. The Battle of Antietam was one of the most critical battles of the war because the battle had large implications for ending the war. Robert E. Lee was on a roll coming into this battle because he had defeated the Union Armies the summer prior to Antietam. Although Lee’s Army successful coming into this battle, his army was outnumbered and was not supplied properly as compared to the north. It was only a matter of time before the resources that the union army had would...
Words: 1123 - Pages: 5
...were a result of the Battle of Antietam which took place during the Civil War. Some of the major factors that played part in such a high casualty rate in this battle were the artillery pieces used, the terrain and location of the battle, and the two experienced generals on both sides, George B McClellan as the Union commander, and Robert E. Lee as the Confederate commander. The Battle of Antietam featured four different artillery cannons, those cannons were the 1857 model Napoleon, the 3inch ordnance rifle, the 1841 model gun, and lastly the 10 pound parrot rifle. The 1857 model Napoleon cannon fired 12 pound projectiles, and had a ranger of up to 1600 yards. The...
Words: 1915 - Pages: 8
...civil war within their independent nation. The Civil War resulted in a plethora of casualties of American citizens who fought relentlessly for their side’s cause. The Battle of Antietam was part of the bountiful amount of battles and is the bloodiest single-day war in American history. The Battle of Antietam resulted in a victory which gave President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation of Proclamation that formally declared, in addition to preserving the Union, that slavery would be eliminated. The Battle of Antietam was fought courageously and vigorously by Union and Confederate soldiers on September 17, 1862. It was the first major battle of the Civil War to be fought on Union soil; the battle took place near Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. The commander of the Union forces was George B. McClellan and the commander of the Confederate soldiers was Robert E. Lee. The Union initiated...
Words: 699 - Pages: 3
...Wars cannot be won without sacrifices. A war without casualties can, in fact, hardly be classified as a war. Although there is no need for mindless bloodshed, if one hundred soldiers are killed destroying the enemy sides’ supply lines, the gain outweighs the loss. War is a strategic chess game, where sometimes a pawn must be sacrificed to make way for the queen to take out the king and win the game. For instance, in the American Civil War, the Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest day in American history, but it did an extraordinary amount to help the Union win the war. When the Union drove the Confederates out of Sharpsburg, it sent an important message to European countries to not bring much-needed aid to the South. Although the battle was officially counted as a draw, the Union claimed victory, also giving President Lincoln the advantage he needed to issue the...
Words: 638 - Pages: 3
...most horrifying and traumatic events in American history the JFK and MLK Jr. assassinations, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the attack on Pearl Harbor all seem to come to mind. People tend to forget the bloodiest day in American history which was the Battle of Antietam. On the day of September 17, 1862 there were a total of 6,300 to 6,500 Confederate and Union soldiers killed. The stories from the surviving soldiers allow the readers to create images in their head on how terrifying the battle was. All throughout the book the author James McPherson uses quotes by the soldiers and he also uses newspaper clippings and government documents to support his views and opinions on this event in history. In the first chapter, McPherson goes into detail the year leading up to the great battle of Antietam. Throughout his explanations of the events that perspired and how it impacted the Union and Confederates. Seen in this chapter is also the...
Words: 740 - Pages: 3
...In this paper, you will read proof of how the Battle of Antietam was a crucial battle in the development of today’s howitzers and how it would mold the future of field Artillery. Since 17 November 1775, the field Artillery became one of the most critical and vital assets to every branch of the United States military. The field Artillery has been utilized in every major conflict to include when they were first deployed on 2 March 1776 under the command of president gorge Washington and Henry Knox. Throughout the endless decades of war, the howitzer has seen many modifications. The howitzer has improved so much from designs such as the catapult, muzzle loaded cannon, QF 13 pounder field gun towed by horses in WWI and all the way to present...
Words: 1094 - Pages: 5
...Overview: On September 16, 1862, General George B. McClellan and his Union Army attacked Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia in Sharpsburg, Maryland, along the Antietam Creek. This was the first invasion of the Northern States. George B. McClellan was defending Washington D.C. against Lee. McClellan’s army attacked Lee’s army first on September 14. Lee’s army were blocked at the South Mountain. He wanted to turn his back against Virginia, but once he heard that Jackson had captured Harper’s Ferry, he decided to stay near Sharpsburg, Maryland. On the morning of September 17, the Battle of Antietam began. There were a total of 87,000 Unions and 45,000 Confederates in this battle. It was a foggy day and it was hard for the Generals to...
Words: 283 - Pages: 2
...The Battle of Antietam had many political effects and it affected all types of people living at that time. Some of the political effects the battle had were Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, it kept Britain and France from getting involved in the war, and it saved Lincoln from a complete defeat in the 1862 midterm elections. Some of the effects it had on people living at that time were it affected the morale of soldiers on both sides, and George B. McClellan was fired. The Battle of Antietam was a very momentous event in the Civil War that greatly affected later events in the war and most likely affected the outcome of the war as well. One of the political effects the Battle of Antietam had was it led to Abraham Lincoln...
Words: 255 - Pages: 2
...Susi Graves History 1010 17, November 2012 Deadliest Day in American History: Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam is considered the turning point of the Civil War. In August, 1862, the Union Army of Virginia lost the Battle of Second Manassas under the command of Major General John Pope to the Army of Northern Virginia commanded by General Robert E. Lee. This lose left the Union army disorganized and dispirited, forcing President Lincoln to appoint a new leader of the Union army, Major General George McClellan. No other day in the history of our nation has been as brutal, bloody, or deadly as what happened on September 17, 1862. After the Confederate army won the Battle of Second Manassas, Lee needed to plan his next move. Lee wanted to move his soldiers to an area that would help take the pressure off of the Shenandoah Valley. Lee was convinced by making this move he would get the support from Europe if he could win a battle on Northern soil. Lee thought the Union army would take some time to reorganize, so he decided to divide his army. Lee would use these divisions to capture certain areas. He would use Lieutenant General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson to achieve these wins. Lee would send Jackson to Harper’s Ferry, were the Union garrison would end up surrendering. Meanwhile, Lee sent Lt. General James Longstreet to Sharpsburg. While entering Frederick, two Union soldiers of the 27th Indiana Regiment found papers wrapped around three cigars in a field on the...
Words: 1100 - Pages: 5
...during the four gruesome years of the Civil War. In the Battle of Antietam, Gen. Lee’s direct involvement made the difference for the Confederate army. With a force nearly half the size of his opponents, Gen. Lee showed that knowing your opponent, the terrain, and your capabilities can make the difference in any battle. (Gallagher 2010) Although unable to attend Harvard as his brother did, Gen. Lee was able to get an advanced education at the United States Military Academy. He graduated second in his class and was a...
Words: 1471 - Pages: 6
...the Battle of Antietam was one of the historical circumstances surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. President Abraham Lincoln, would issue the proclamation, however, he would only issue the proclamation for the border states that owned slaves. The issue of the proclamation would also be for the border states that remained loyal to the union. He issued that those states would be exempt from this proclamation. His advisors encouraged him to hold off on making the announcement of the proclamation, to see if the Battle of Antietam, would result in a confirmed union victory (U.S. National Archives & Records Administration). Finally, in September of 1862, word was given, the Battle of Antietam had been won. As a result, President Lincoln had issued his first announcement that the slaves in these areas of rebellion, would be set free. On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln made a final announcement for the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared, all salves would be set free to include rebellious states (Wilson, DiIulio, Jr. and Bose)....
Words: 598 - Pages: 3
...his book Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam. The book examined the importance of the Battle of Antietam on the results of the Civil War. On September 17th, 1862 the Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American history, was fought in Maryland. McPherson’s book examines not only the battle itself but also the events before and after the battle. The book focuses on the political, social and diplomatic repercussions of the battle for both the Confederacy and the Union. McPherson used newspapers, documents, correspondence, person letters, diaries, memoirs, images, maps and other books to prove how the Battle of Antietam may have not been the only deciding outcome of the Civil War but can be viewed as a pivotal turning point in the war. “Antietam was arguable,...
Words: 625 - Pages: 3
...causalities from soldiers being in war has caused a great amount of conflict within our nation. Although this all maybe true nothing can beat The Battle Of Antietam also know as the Battle Of Sharpsburg back on September 17th 1862, where more people were killed in one day compared to 9/11 where about 5,000 deaths were accounted for. The Battle Of Antietam is the one known battle to be by far the bloodiest day in the whole civil war along with the bloodiest day in American History. This battle didn’t just come to be, it started off with off with one of General McClellan Union soldiers walking on a field and finding a wad of cigars on the ground. George McClellan the commander for Union Army of the Potomac troops and responsible for anything that happens in Washington D.C. Especially with Robert E. Lee’s future plans to invade the North. Little did he know the soldier discovered a battle plan in that wad of cigars which made his way to McClellan, but it wasn’t long before Lee found out his plan already known about by the Unions. The map showed the exact plans that Confederate leader General Robert E. Lee had planned to attack the North with. Overall after Antietam there was no clear “winner.” Although people tend to be more opinionated toward the Union side winning only because they stopped the invasion of the North. The winner of the Battle Of Antietam is unclear and depends on how you look at the out come after the...
Words: 278 - Pages: 2
...British were on the verge of recognizing the Confederacy if they could show it could hold its own, and Lee was anxious to provide a cornerstone for the Confederacy to build upon. The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest day in American history and was a major blow to the Army of Northern Virginia and the morale of the south. This is the tableau against which our story unfolds. Stephen W. (Ward) Sears was born July 27th, 1932 in Ohio. He is a pre-eminent American historian specializing in all facets of the Civil War. He graduated from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio and was an attendee of a journalism seminar at Radcliffe-Harvard. As a novelist, he has concentrated on the military history of the Civil War, primarily focusing his works on the battles involving and leaders of the Army of the Potomac. He was formerly employed as an editor for the Educational Department at the American Heritage Publishing Company. Sears currently resides in Norwalk, Connecticut. Some of the other books he has written on the Civil War are Gettysburg, Chancellorsville, To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign, and George B. McClellan: The Young Napoleon. However, it is his novel, Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam, that we are concerned with here. It is a fantastic book detailing the battle of Antietam or, as it is sometimes known, Sharpsburg. The diplomatic undercurrent of pending support for the Confederate cause from cotton-dependent nations such as Great Britain and France isn’t...
Words: 2808 - Pages: 12
...A three-phase battle, each part as deadly as the last, took place on September 17, 1862 and greatly changed America and the lives of its citizens. The civil war was a terrible time in America’s history, where brother fought against brother and father fought alongside son leading to the inescapable slaughter and bloodshed. When Antietam took place, the splitting of America was very likely and with one more decisive confederate victory it would have been inevitable and America would’ve been forever separate. Antietam halted this split and ultimately led to America staying together and ending up stronger than ever before. Miller’s cornfield, the sunken road, and the bridge over Antietam Creek were the three places where the two armies fought...
Words: 498 - Pages: 2
