Antietam: How Bloody Can It Get?
Why did General Burnside send his troops across a heavily fortified bridge while his army was suffering heavy casualties?
To get to the other side!
To get to the other side!
On September 17th, 1862, the Civil War experienced its most devastating conflict at Sharpsburg, Maryland. Antietam was where the most bloodshed occurred out of ANY day, ANY battle, and ANY war in American history. Although the Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single-day clash in the Civil War, the battle was momentous in that it elevated the Union’s morale to the point where Abraham Lincoln was confident in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.
Link to animated map and videos of the Antietam battlefield:
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam/maps/antietam-animated-map.html
Link to animated map and videos of the Antietam battlefield:
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam/maps/antietam-animated-map.html
When the term “war” is brought up, it is inevitable to think about the number of brave souls lost to the vicious new weapons to gunning them down mercilessly. But what comes to mind when the American Civil War is mentioned? Slavery? The Confederate Flag? A picture with Lee and Grant facing off like two boxers in a ring? In fact, the Civil War was just like any other war Americans had experienced in the past, filled with vengeance and bitter relations.
On one fateful day during September 1862, America experienced its most devastating conflict in its history. A total of 22,717 people were either killed, wounded, or reported missing on that SINGLE day alone at Antietam (to put things into perspective, that is nearly a quarter of the present-day city population of Richardson, Texas).
So what caused the mortifying day in American history to go down?
It all starts with the CAUSES…
After the big victory from the Second Battle of Bull Run, Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army were full of confidence and arrogance. They were like…”We are so OP (over powered)! We should totally go to Maryland and actually attack the Union’s land!” This was the start of the problem (the attempt to capture the Union’s territory is called the Maryland Campaign).
Attacking the Union’s territory would benefit the Confederates because:
So the Confederate soldiers stormed into Maryland to capture the territory. BUT…
The Confederates were OUTNUMBERED!! (Before the civil war, the Union had a 5:1 population ratio...) Although they were outnumbered, the Confederate’s hubris motivated them to fight. Most of the soldiers knew how stupid and foolish the Union generals were. (The Union generals were so bad that a general named Burnside kept sending soldiers after soldiers into battle without even thinking of a plan!!!!)
The next thing that happened was the shot from General McClellan. This was the beginning of the war.
WHAT happened and WHY the bloodiest???
The battle can be divided into four major portions (morning, midday, afternoon, and the night).
Morning - General Hooker of the Union attacked Lee’s troops from the left. As the two armies fought each other, the fighting spread to Miller’s cornfield and around the Dunker Church. (Funny: The Union fighters accidently went into the Miller’s cornfield and got trapped and surrounded by the Confederates in the corn field, causing tons of people to die…However, after a long time, the Unions escaped. Later, the Confederates went into the corn field. This time, the Union surrounded the Confederates and massacred them...THEY WERE SO CLEVER!) This was also the time when Stonewall Jackson (who got his name from the Battle of Bull Run) had another of his famous defense.
Midday - The Union troops kept attacking the Confederates at the Sunken Road. Later, they were able to break through the center of the Confederate troops and take over the important strategic position (location) of the battle. This sort of split the Confederate army.
Afternoon - More and more (tons more) Union soldiers led by General Burnside came and supported the Union army (here is the explanation for the JOKE!!!). Burnside’s army captured a stone bridge over Antietam Creek and led his army towards the right side of the Confederate troops. However, the Confederates had a surprise (HMMMMM...). Confederate General. A.P. Hill led his army from Harpers Ferry and found the Union army crowded around the bridge. So what did he do? He made his army shoooooooooot all of the Union soldiers on the bridge. This caused Burnside to retreat back with heavy CASUALTIES XD.
Night - Remember how the Confederates were outnumbered? Lee went all in and McClellan sent in less than three fourths of his army in this battle. Although Lee won the battle, when the night came, almost all of the Confederate army was injured. (This was pretty much all of their soldiers!! No more soldiers!) So Lee decided to retreat. Abraham Lincoln knew of this (though the telegraph) and told McClellan to follow Lee and keep attacking them until they reached Richmond. (McClellan still had more than a quarter of healthy soldiers.) This could have ended the war because all of the Confederate army was weak and Richmond (the Confederate capital) could have easily been captured.
However, what did our brilliant McClellan do? (BTW #BESTGENERALEVER) He decided to stay and not follow after Lee (what a baffoon).
Aftermath
Although in the end it was a stalemate, the Battle of Antietam was still a strategic win for the Union.
On one fateful day during September 1862, America experienced its most devastating conflict in its history. A total of 22,717 people were either killed, wounded, or reported missing on that SINGLE day alone at Antietam (to put things into perspective, that is nearly a quarter of the present-day city population of Richardson, Texas).
So what caused the mortifying day in American history to go down?
It all starts with the CAUSES…
After the big victory from the Second Battle of Bull Run, Robert E. Lee and the Confederate Army were full of confidence and arrogance. They were like…”We are so OP (over powered)! We should totally go to Maryland and actually attack the Union’s land!” This was the start of the problem (the attempt to capture the Union’s territory is called the Maryland Campaign).
Attacking the Union’s territory would benefit the Confederates because:
- It would keep the momentum of the Confederates.
- The fight would be on the opponent’s land.
- This battle could cause Britain and other foreign countries to support the Confederates.
- Capturing Washington D.C. would be much easier with repeated victories.
So the Confederate soldiers stormed into Maryland to capture the territory. BUT…
The Confederates were OUTNUMBERED!! (Before the civil war, the Union had a 5:1 population ratio...) Although they were outnumbered, the Confederate’s hubris motivated them to fight. Most of the soldiers knew how stupid and foolish the Union generals were. (The Union generals were so bad that a general named Burnside kept sending soldiers after soldiers into battle without even thinking of a plan!!!!)
The next thing that happened was the shot from General McClellan. This was the beginning of the war.
WHAT happened and WHY the bloodiest???
The battle can be divided into four major portions (morning, midday, afternoon, and the night).
Morning - General Hooker of the Union attacked Lee’s troops from the left. As the two armies fought each other, the fighting spread to Miller’s cornfield and around the Dunker Church. (Funny: The Union fighters accidently went into the Miller’s cornfield and got trapped and surrounded by the Confederates in the corn field, causing tons of people to die…However, after a long time, the Unions escaped. Later, the Confederates went into the corn field. This time, the Union surrounded the Confederates and massacred them...THEY WERE SO CLEVER!) This was also the time when Stonewall Jackson (who got his name from the Battle of Bull Run) had another of his famous defense.
Midday - The Union troops kept attacking the Confederates at the Sunken Road. Later, they were able to break through the center of the Confederate troops and take over the important strategic position (location) of the battle. This sort of split the Confederate army.
Afternoon - More and more (tons more) Union soldiers led by General Burnside came and supported the Union army (here is the explanation for the JOKE!!!). Burnside’s army captured a stone bridge over Antietam Creek and led his army towards the right side of the Confederate troops. However, the Confederates had a surprise (HMMMMM...). Confederate General. A.P. Hill led his army from Harpers Ferry and found the Union army crowded around the bridge. So what did he do? He made his army shoooooooooot all of the Union soldiers on the bridge. This caused Burnside to retreat back with heavy CASUALTIES XD.
Night - Remember how the Confederates were outnumbered? Lee went all in and McClellan sent in less than three fourths of his army in this battle. Although Lee won the battle, when the night came, almost all of the Confederate army was injured. (This was pretty much all of their soldiers!! No more soldiers!) So Lee decided to retreat. Abraham Lincoln knew of this (though the telegraph) and told McClellan to follow Lee and keep attacking them until they reached Richmond. (McClellan still had more than a quarter of healthy soldiers.) This could have ended the war because all of the Confederate army was weak and Richmond (the Confederate capital) could have easily been captured.
However, what did our brilliant McClellan do? (BTW #BESTGENERALEVER) He decided to stay and not follow after Lee (what a baffoon).
Aftermath
Although in the end it was a stalemate, the Battle of Antietam was still a strategic win for the Union.
- It ended Lee's invasion of Maryland.
- Lee moved his troops out of the North, back to Virginia (Lee withdrew first).
- Boosted Union’s confidence and morale (Gave Abraham Lincoln confidence to give out the Emancipation Proclamation!)
- Prevented other foreign powers from helping the Confederates! (Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation really showed the other foreign countries (France and Britain) the side Lincoln stood on. Britain disliked slavery because of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and this victory also made the Union look strong.)
- After the Battle of Antietam, the Civil War became not only a war to unify the nation but also a war for humanity (civilization) and moral ethics.
Crossword Puzzle!
Across
6. Southern commander in the battle
7. Executive order issued after the conclusion of Antietam, result of the battle
8. Union commander who captured the stone bridge while sustaining many casualties during the battle
9. Northern leader who led Union troops in the battle
Down
1. Union army that McClellan took command of after the disaster at the First Battle of Bull Run, fought at Antietam
2. Event that came before Antietam which increased Confederate confidence to invade the North
3. Overall outcome of the battle; starts with an “s”
4. City in which the battle of Antietam occurred
5. The Confederate plan of action to invade the North
Works Cited
Gardner, Alexander. Antietam Bridge, Maryland. 1862. Photograph. National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD. Antietam Bridge, Maryland. Sept. 1862. Wikimedia Commons, 23 Oct. 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Gardner, Alexander. Bodies on the Battlefield of Antietam. 1862. Photograph. Library of Congress, Washington D.C. Bodies on the Battlefield of Antietam. Wikimedia Commons, 12 Aug. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Gardner, Alexander. Lincoln and McClellan. 1862. Photograph. Library of Congress, Washington D.C. Lincoln and McClellan. Wikimedia Commons, 13 May 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Hope, James. Artillery Hell. N.d. National Park Service. Artillery Hell by Captain James Hope. Wikimedia Commons, 22 Apr. 2009. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Kurz & Allison. Battle of Antietam. 1888. Art Publishers, Chicago. Battle of Antietam. Wikimedia Commons, 12 May 2005. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Gardner, Alexander. Bodies on the Battlefield of Antietam. 1862. Photograph. Library of Congress, Washington D.C. Bodies on the Battlefield of Antietam. Wikimedia Commons, 12 Aug. 2013. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Gardner, Alexander. Lincoln and McClellan. 1862. Photograph. Library of Congress, Washington D.C. Lincoln and McClellan. Wikimedia Commons, 13 May 2011. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Hope, James. Artillery Hell. N.d. National Park Service. Artillery Hell by Captain James Hope. Wikimedia Commons, 22 Apr. 2009. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.
Kurz & Allison. Battle of Antietam. 1888. Art Publishers, Chicago. Battle of Antietam. Wikimedia Commons, 12 May 2005. Web. 5 Dec. 2013.