The Battle of Antietam
The BLOODIEST Day of the War
The Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was also known as The Battle of Sharpsburg. The Battle took place on September 17, 1862. The battle occurred as a result of the Confederacy's first attempt to invade the North. Confederate troops were out numbered almost two to one with the Union Army lead by General George McClellan having approximately 87,000 troops while The Confederate Army lead by General Robert E. Lee only ruffly 45,000 troops.
To date September 17, 1862 is the single bloodiest day in American military history with over 22 thousand casualties. With a total number of 3,500 deaths between both the Union and the Confederacy
The Union victory at Sharpsburg gave Abraham Lincoln enough momentum to write the Emancipation Proclamation, which lead America down a path of eventually freeing all slaves throughout the country