The Battle Of Antietam

A detailed Summary of The Battle Of Antietam


The Battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862. The United States Army of the Potomac led by General George B. McClellan fought against the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia led by General Robert E. Lee. The battle was fought along the Antietam Creek near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Both of the armies were densely concentrated in the Sharpsburg area, and it was a very bloody battle. The Union Army lost over twelve thousand men, while the Confederate Army lost around ten thousand men. General Robert E. Lee narrowly escaped defeat this battle and the lack of men cause him and his army to retreat back in to Virginia.

Lee had good reason for wanting to bring Maryland into the Confederacy. With having Maryland, he would have good location to attack the major cities like Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. It would also give him a chance to get to the rich farmland of the North that would give his army supplies of food. Lee split up his army of fifty thousand men, sending "Stonewall" Jackson to capture the Union arsenal at Harper's Ferry. He told James Longstreet to move north towards Hagerstown, Maryland. Smaller groups were left with the task of guarding against McClellan's troops. Even with all the p


On September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, began. There was a massive attack of cannon and rifle fire. General Joseph Hooker's men crushed the Rebel troops. Only a counterattack by a Texan force kept the Yankees from breaking the Confederate line. Hooker threw his troops up against the Rebels, causing heavy losses. Several hours later, General Mansfield's Union Corps struck at Hood's men in the second Union attack. Mansfield was killed almost instantly, but that did no stop the fighting that just raged on and for hours the pattern attack and retreat was just repeated. Neither side seemed to get the clear advantage. In the third attack of the day, General Sumner's Corps found themselves caught in a pocket and in a matter of minutes, over 2,000 men fell to the ground. The fourth Union attack of the day, two other divisions of Sumner's Corps were met by Daniel Harvey Hill's troops at a suknen road in the middle of the Confederate position. Since this was the site of some of the most bitter and desperate fighting of the day, that area was called The Bloody Lane. The Union troops just kept on pushing forward and finally reached a position that overlooked the entire battlefield

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Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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