Shortly after dawn, Confederate troops spied hazy blue figures emerging from a fog-enshrouded cornfield outside Sharpsburg, Maryland, and unleashed an artillery storm that mowed down dozens of Union soldiers within minutes. The next 12 hours delivered unrelenting carnage, with an average of one casualty every two seconds. (Klein)
In addition to the staggering amount of casualties during this sequence of events, this battle is also noted as one of the largest displays of artillery firepower ever. Many have even used the term “artillery hell” to describe the intensity of this massing of field …show more content…
The modern military now has an unbelievable amount of advanced communications platforms available, but there is now a severe dependence on the use of technology throughout all military operations. This can but good, but also bad; words can be sent miles and miles away in a matter of seconds, but what happens if that piece of equipment fails to function? To conclude, the Battle of Antietam had a massive effect on how artillery was viewed as a whole; it demonstrates how artillery can drastically debilitate the enemy while minimizing the loss of ground troops if at all possible. The weapons may have changed, but the mission of the field artillery is still the same: to protect the maneuver units during combat in close proximity, and to deliver that intimidating thunder that can reach out and touch