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Battle Of Antietam Essay

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The Battle of Antietam, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, is considered the greatest threat to Washington, DC, from the Confederates. The battle began on September 17th, 1862 as the fog lifted from Sharpsburg, Maryland. Confederate Generals James Longstreet and A. P Hills’ troops made the right flanks west of Antietam Creek. It flowed south from Gettysburg to the Potomac River in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Stonewall Jackson and Brigadier General John G. Walker’s troops formed the Confederates' left flank. General Lee’s troops were in the middle. However, they were worn out and hungry. They just watched and waited as George B. McClellan’s army was positioned on the east side of the creek. Though the Union outnumbered the Confederates, …show more content…

The Union shot first at the Confederate left flank, which started the Battle of Antietam. The Confederate troops fought hard on the offense to prevent being overrun by the Union. Starting a bloody battle. In just the first 8 hours of this bloody, horrific battle, there were over 15,000 deaths or injuries alone. Closer to the center of the battlefield, there was another killing site, which is known as the “Sunken Road.” Where the Confederates' right flanks of about 2600 men piled fence rails along the bank of the road to secure their position against Union General Major General William H. France's 5,500 approaching troops. When his troops arrived. The fighting became even more aggressive. Union troops pushed the Confederates back and over 5000 men died or were injured. The amount of bloodshed earned Sunken Road a new nickname, “Bloody Lane.” As night came upon them. Thousands of dead soldiers lay on the battlegrounds. Both sides went to collect their dead and wounded. The next day, General Lee moved his troops back to VA. To President Lincoln's shock, Mcclellan did nothing. He just let them retreat. McAllen thought that he already did his job and that he did not need to do it anymore. If Mcclellan didn't let them go and sought after them, would the war have ended sooner? I guess we'll never know. But what we know is the Battle of Antium. While considered a draw by historians, it was considered a Union victory to the Union. The battle was also …show more content…

I knew her as the “Angel of the battlefield” because of her nursing care and giving supplies to the soldiers. She says, “A ball had passed between my body and the right arm which supported him (the wounded soldier), cutting through the sleeve and passing through his chest from shoulder to shoulder. There was no more to be done for him, and I left him to his rest. I have never mended that hole in my sleeve. I wonder if a soldier ever mends a bullet hole in his coat.″ Though it doesn't say much, it shows how horrific this battle was for everyone involved. It is not called the bloodiest day in American history for

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Generals Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan were the major commanders in the spotlight of the combat. These two men were completely different and the battle effected them in a weird way. While McClellan officially won the the battle and Lee lost it, his lack actions before, during and after the battle caused him his job and a Chief Commander, as opposed to Lee who´d always been respected gained even more respect by his campaign in Maryland and battle tactics at Sharpsburg. Despite removing McClellan from his position, President Lincoln achieved something that altered the course of American History once and for all, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The bloody battle of Antietam, was one of the most significant and most peculiar battles fought in the history of the USA; not only were the battle plans revealed before the battle even started, but the question is whether the Union took a full advantage of the leaked out document, evidence of which is not really straightforward in the course of the battle itself.

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130 Words | 1 Pages

The confederate troops, controlled by General Albert Sidney Johnston marched, 40,000 troops strong out on April 6, 1862. They attacked an unprepared Union Army at Pittsburg Landing near the Tennessee River. The Confederate Army under General Ulysses S. Grant, was overwhelmed and decided to drop back to what’s known as the “Hornets Nest.” The Confederates initial attempts to destroy the “Hornets Nest” were repelled, by the better cover of the Union. Artillery killed or wounded many.

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383 Words | 2 Pages

Robert E. Lee imagined that by battling in Maryland, he could win support from the general population of Maryland, and also bolster his troops with nourishment from Maryland ranches. President Abraham Lincoln put Major General George B. McClellan accountable for the Union troops in charge of safeguarding Washington, D.C., against Lee 's attack. McClellan 's Army of the Potomac conflicted first with Lee 's men on September 14, with the

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689 Words | 3 Pages

Early in the War the Union won several key battles including Ft. Donaldson, Nashville, and the two-day bloody battle of Shiloh. They also captured bases for the blockade fleets and drove Confederate armies out of West Virginia but the

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The Battle of Shiloh, also referred as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was fought for two days on 6th and 7th of April 1862 in southwestern Tennessee. Plan aimed to defeat Army of the Tennessee led by major general Grant of Union, in a blitzkrieg operation spearheaded under General Johnston in the western theater. The deployed soldiers involved in the war from the side of Union and Confederate was 66000 and 44700 respectively, and it caused 13000 deaths in the Union side and 10700 in the side of the Confederate. The important events and places associated with this war include Hornet's Nest, Sunken Road, Ruggles’s Battery, Peach Orchard, and Defense of Pittsburg Landing.

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General Magruder made General McClellan to focus his attention on him by employing diversionary attacks from the south, while the main focus of General Lee army was attacking the north. General McClellan ordered his army to withdraw back into Harrison’s Landing during the night on June 27th. While McClellan was withdrawing, General Magruder moved forward to perform an reconnaissance to locate McClellan army. Conducting the reconnaissance Magruder orderd General Toombs’ brigade to attack McClellan army. General Toombs’ brigade was easly stopped and made them retreat back.

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1181 Words | 5 Pages

The Battle technically lasted 3 days, September 16-18 1862, although, the main fighting was only on the 17th. George McClellan was the Union General of the troops in that Battle, and Robert. E. Lee was the confederate General. Lee was at a disadvantage because his army was half the size of McClellan’s army. Both sides suffered about 10,000 casualties and the Battle was generally considered a tie, it was thought that the Union army could have shattered Lee’s army if they had pursued him back south.

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733 Words | 3 Pages

The Union had open fire on Confederate soldiers behind a stone wall while Ohio, New York, and Vermont attacked the two enemy sides. Now that the Confederates were under attack from all sides only half of the confederates survived, and Pickett lost two third of his men. As the few survivors came back Lee and Longstreet went to their defensive line along the shore after the failed attack,

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Yet another tactical error on the part of General McClellan was not renewing his attack on Lee’s forces on 18 September. Lee’s forces were still in their position and McClellan had that numerical advantage which now included 30,000 fresh troops decided not to attack. This allowed Lees the opportunity and time to retreat across the Potomac and

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675 Words | 3 Pages

Lees evacuation of Mary Land after the Battle of Antietam Creek on September 19-20, 1862’’. Lee and his troop’s rested for a few nights and then went up the Shenandoah Valley. On October 6 the president ordered McClellan to cross the the Potomac and attack the enemy. The president also ordered McClellan to move his army while the roads are clear. twenty-four days were spent before the order was obeyed.

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214 Words | 1 Pages

After the recognition of destruction and death struck General Lee, the Confederate Army retreated back to Virginia on September 18th. Reacting as a cautious leader would, McClellan hesitated attacking the vulnerable troops of the Confederate’s as they escaped back into the safety of the South. With both sides wounded and tired, Lee’s bluster to keep the fight going gave the Confederates enough time to gather their wounded and abscond the scene of battle. After Lee took his soldiers back South, McClellan wrote ‘that after a “careful survey of the situation and condition of our army, the strength and position of the enemy, I concluded that the success of an attack on the 18th was not certain”’. McClellan’s hesitation in pursuit was seen as a

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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.

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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.

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670 Words | 3 Pages

Even Over the route of the September 15th and 16th, all of the Confederate and Union armies who had gathered on the opposite sides of the Antietam Creek. Which was on the Confederate sides, Jackson was commanding the left side with General James. McClellan’s strategy was to attack any of the left enemys, then at the right moment, when either of those movements met with the needs, they were going to move forward in towards the

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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

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