ipl-logo

Antietam Turning Point

626 Words3 Pages

The battles of Antietam and Gettysburg were two turning points of the American Civil War that redefined the objectives for both North and South. According to historians the North with its vast resources would have won the war. But the North had to definitively defeat the South to bring the back into the Union. If the Civil War would have ended in a draw the South would have won its independence. The battles of Antietam and Gettysburg were two examples of turning points that helped direct the course of history. The battle of Antietam was not considered a victory by either the North (Union) or the South (Confederacy) and was not considered a turning point from a military prospective. The battle was considered a tactical draw by most military historians because neither side took the battle field and drove their opponents into retreat. Two key events that occurred off the battlefield …show more content…

But General Lee was forced to retreat back leaving the battle as a tactical draw that did not equate to a victory. Britain did not see their interest protected and moved away from supplying the South. The second event was the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, five days following the battle of Antietam. Since General Lee had retreated back into Virginia, President Lincoln used the battle of Antietam as a stepping stone to move forward in freeing the slaves that were under Confederate control in the territory. Lincoln believed since the Confederates believed that slaves were considered to be property, they could be seized during time of war. The result of the Emancipation Proclamation redefined goals for sides. The battle Antietam demonstrated that the South was not able to sustain an offensive on Union land. In addition the causalities were so great; the south could not sustain the losses in

Show More
Related
582 Words | 3 Pages

Abraham Lincoln became the United States’ 16th President in 1861, issuing the Emancipation Proclamation that proclaimed perpetually free those slaves inside the Alliance in 1863. Lincoln is an unprecedented pioneer because of the of The Anaconda Plan, Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address. The Anaconda Plan had a few objectives and of them being the foundation of a naval barricade around the entire shore of the South with a specific end goal to keep the fare of cotton, indigo, tobacco, and other money crops from the South and to shield the South from bringing in fundamental war supplies and arrangements (1). After the Battle of Antietam in 1862, President Abraham Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, this demonstration allowed the Africans to enter in the Association armed force and naval force which helped in the war. Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address regarded the dead soldiers, pronounced freedom and emphasized on "All men are created equal"

Read More
689 Words | 3 Pages

In September 1862, a battle was fought in a small town in Maryland. More lives were lost than any other battle or war that the United States has ever experience before or since. This battle had no true winner but it did have consequeses that changed the course of the Civil War. In James M. McPherson’s book Crossroads of Freedom Antietam The Battle That Changed the Course of the Civil War, he shows how small events added up to lead to the Battle of Antietam and ultimately to the North winning the Civil War.

Read More
459 Words | 2 Pages

First of all the geography forced the Confederates to switch from offense to defense. The Battle of Gettysburg was the first and last battle fought in the North. All the other battles were fought in the South so the Confederate’s people and towns were constantly in danger. Document A illustrates that the General Lee were tired of being on the defense and wanted to be on the offense for a change. Document A states that even though the Confederates tried their hardest they were pushed back onto the defensive and ultimately lost the war (273).

Read More
310 Words | 2 Pages

The Battle of Gettysburg was July 1 - July 3, 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg was a game changer in the Civil War for 3 reasons: the geography, morale, and losses. The first reason Gettysburg was a turning point-or game changer- was because the Confederates lost a lot of men. The Confederates lost about 34% of their men (Document B.)

Read More
116 Words | 1 Pages

Known as the bloodiest single-day battle in American History, the Battle of Antietam took place at Antietam creek in Maryland. Strategic plan unveiled and outnumbered, things didn’t start off smoothly for General Robert E. Lee and the Confederate army; yet, even with a copy of the enemy’s plan and a two-to-one advantage, did things work out for Union! With one side disadvantaged and the other wasting their advantages, the battle stayed undecided for hours- that is until violent attacks to General Lee’s troop had the Confederate army retreating. Although, the Battle of Antietam does not have a clear victorious side, the Union declared it as a victory and used the victory to justify the “Emancipation Proclamation”

Read More
276 Words | 2 Pages

The article Antietam In The Civil War informs readers about the battle of Antietam. During the beginning of the battle of Antietam, Lee marched to Maryland hoping to seize railroads feeding Washington D.C. and rally inhabitants of the border states. Next Lee split off part of his army, which McClellan would probably never figure out. Therefor, Lee had an advantage on McClellan’s army. That was true up until one of Lee’s couriers lost a copy of his marching orders and the union found it.

Read More
1181 Words | 5 Pages

Did you know that most major Battles of the Civil War were draws? Although the Battle of Antietam was considered a draw, it still gave the Union army a large advantage. Along with the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Gettysburg was almost a draw, but the Union took the win. Later in the war, a General named Tecumseh Sherman thought that by destroying the southern infrastructure, he would revoke the south of its morale, and its ability to fight. A major theme of the Civil War was war was terrible, as supported by Battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, and General Sherman’s Total War.

Read More
906 Words | 4 Pages

The Battle of Antietam was not clearly won by either the Union Army or the Confederate Army, but still ended up being one of the most significant battles and turning points of the American Civil War. It might not be as well-known as other battles such as the Battle of Gettysburg or the Battle of Appomattox, but it was still very important to the overall outcome of the Civil War. There are a number of reasons why this battle is so significant and stands out from other Civil War battles. The Battle of Antietam was “fought primarily on September 17, 1862, between the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek” (Battle of Antietam 2016).

Read More
1044 Words | 5 Pages

In this essay, I will be concentrating more on the facts of the Battle of Antietam then the tactical movements, or all the decisions made during this battle. I will however cover some key points that do point to poor leadership and execution of plans. Most of this essay will cover facts of Special Order 191, errors in judgment by General George B. McClellan, the sunken road, the importance of victory needed for General Robert E. Lee, and lastly the overall analysis of the outcome. At dawn on the morning of September 17, 1862, the nation’s bloodiest battle and bloodiest day in American History occurred. The battle began with an attack by General Joseph Hooker to capture the plateau in which the Dunker Church now called sat upon and a small creek that ran through the battlefield named Antietam Creek; hence, this is where the name The Battle of Antietam originated.

Read More
746 Words | 3 Pages

Why was The Battle of Gettysburg a Turning Point of the War? The Civil War had many battles and out of all of those battles, The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important. This was because it was the turning point for the whole war. The Battle of Gettysburg was important because of many different reasons.

Read More
485 Words | 2 Pages

The Battle of Antietam, a cataclysmic event that transpired on September 17, 1862, is a crucial chapter in the timeline of American military history. This gory and deadly confrontation between Confederate General Robert E. Lee and Union General George B. McClellan is often remembered as the deadliest one-day battle of American warfare. McClellan, the Union General, made a grave mistake by sending less than three-quarters of his troops against Lee's full force, a strategic blunder that allowed Lee to hold ground by shifting forces. Lee was banking on shifting the focus of fighting away from the South and into Federal territory, with the Confederate victory potentially leading to the capture of the Federal capital and influencing the impending congressional elections in the North. President Abraham Lincoln was relying heavily on McClellan to bring him the victory he needed to keep Republican control of Congress and issue a preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.

Read More
464 Words | 2 Pages

Proclamation. The Battle of Antietam was a Turning point for the Union in the Revolutionary war; it also had a great impact on the future of our nation. The reason it was such an important battle was because it gave Araham Lincoln the opportunity to issue the emancipation proclamation. The battle of Antietam was a conflict between the Confederate General Robert E. Lee of Northern Virginia and Union General George Mclellan Army of the Potomac. This battle lasted for one day.

Read More
489 Words | 2 Pages

This battle ended the war and slavery in the United states. Although many battles were successful they did lose and tie but in all battles lives were lost on both

Read More
740 Words | 3 Pages

Lincoln called for 500,000 troops on both sides settled for a long battle. Abraham surprised a lot of people by proving to be a more than a capable wartime leader. He learned quickly about strategy and tactics in the early years of the Civil War, and choosing the best commanders. General George McClellan continually frustrated Lincoln with his unwillingness to advance, and when McClellan failed to see Robert Lee’s retreating Confederate Army in the outcome of the Union victory at Antietam in September 1862. Antietam is a creek of north Maryland emptying into the Potomac

Read More
699 Words | 3 Pages

The most important battle during the Civil War was the Battle of Gettysburg. This was a battle that took place over three days in the small Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863. This battle was the turning point of the civil war which successfully stopped the Southern Confederate Armies led by General Robert E. Lee from taking over the north. The Battle of Gettysburg was the most important battle of the Civil War because it was the largest of the civil war battles, successfully pushing back southern armies away from the north, and was the major defeat of the south. The battle of Gettysburg is still considered to historians to not only be the most important battle of the Civil war but the deciding factor towards victory.

Read More

More about Antietam Turning Point

Related Topics

Open Document