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Battle Of Antietam Essay

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Antietam Battlefield Report

The Battle of Antietam took place on September 17th, 1862 and lasted for only 12 hours. However, it was not only the bloodiest day of the American Civil War, but the bloodiest single day in all of American history (www.historynet.com). The most important Union officer that fought in the battle was Major General George B. McClellan. The Battle of Antietam was the only battle that Mr. McClellan fought from start to finish (www.civilwar.org). Ezra Carman, a Union colonel, recalled “more errors were committed by the Union commander than in any other battle of the war.” (www.civilwar.org) One of the many mistakes that Major General George B. McClellan made was hugely overestimating Confederate numbers. Mr. McClellan …show more content…

General Robert E. Lee was almost daring Mr. McClellan to launch another attack on his troops, but when Mr. McClellan refused, General Robert E. Lee ordered his troops to retreat and return to Virginia on September 18, 1862 (www.history.com). Here are some interesting facts about the Civil War. The area on which the battle was fought was designated a national battlefield in 1890 (web.a.ebscohost.com). As a result of the Battle of Antietam, Republicans retained control of the House in November, and five days after the battle, Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (www.encyclopedia.com). The primary purpose of the Battle at Antietam was to make the Union give up on the war (http://www.softschools.com). Robert E. Lee thought that a victory on the Union’s soil would force the North to stop fighting the war. However, this wasn’t the only goal of the battle. The Confederates thought that if they were to win a major battle, and take some of the North’s territory, they would get France and Great Britain to help support their cause. Especially because Great Britain and France were mad at the North.However, since the Confederates lost the battle, neither France nor Great Britain recognized their cause, and provided them with no support

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