Battle Of Antietam Essay

The Battle of Antietam was one of the bloodiest battles throughout the Civil War. Only lasting twenty four hours, over 23,000 Confederate and Union soldiers perished in such a miniscule amount of time. The Battle of Antietam, sometimes referred to as The Battle of Sharpsburg, was the first battle to be fought on Union soil. Multiple Commanders took part in this battle. Most famously, George B. McClellan and Robert E. Lee. The battle had four distinct phases, which allowed both armies to either reinforce a flank or shift towards a more advantageous location. However, despite enormous deaths on both sides, the sparked the infamous Emancipation Proclamation to be written only after five days of the deadly battle. Robert E. Lee, Commander of

First off, fighting in the cornfield, shortly after fighting in the “West Woods”, afterwards both armies would fight in what is now known as “Bloody Lane”, a strong advantageous sunken road. Finally both armies would fight at the Burnside’s bridge, a singular bridge allowing passage over the Antietam creek. The fighting took place early in the morning. The 1st Corps, followed by the Union’s 12th Corps an approximate of 20,000 soldiers pushed through and around the cornfield. Simultaneously, Stonewall Jackson’s men pushed back with infantry and artillery. Jackson's men barely survive and were only able to hold the line due to reinforcements. The arrival of the Union’s 2nd Corps sparks the second phase of the battle. The men were split in half so some would fight in the West Woods and the others would fight in the Sunken Road. Unfortunately, the men that fought in the West Woods were slaughtered by a power Confederate counterattack. However, 2nd Corps men that fought in the Sunken Road, understood that the Confederate soldiers fighting there were weaker than the rest of the CSA’s armies. More Union soldiers arrived to aid, ultimately leading to the capture of the Sunken Road. The Union’s 9th Corps has been struggling to flank and overtake the Burnside’s bridge. Numerous attempts to get to the bridge, but ultimately the 9th Corps is able to take the bridge putting the Confederates in a disadvantageous location. Shortly