Battle Of Antietam Research Paper

The Battle of Antietam was a short yet important battle in the Civil War. This war took place near Sharpsburg, Maryland on September 17th, 1862 and is known as the bloodiest single day battle in American history with around 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded or missing. This battle was fought between the Confederate Army, led by General Robert E. Lee, and the Union Army, which was led by General George B. McClellan. After the Union troops had just won the Battle of South Mountain, General Robert E. Lee decided to invade the North, hoping to salvage his Maryland Campaign and weaken the Union. Lee arranged his troops along the creek as they awaited McClellan's arrival, But just a day later, General McClellan ordered his army into motion, directing Major Gen. Joseph Hooker's First Corps …show more content…
This fierce battle began in the early dawn of September 17th, 1862 when the Union troops launched a brutal assault on Lee's left flank. The Union repeatedly assaulted and Confederates feircely counterstriked back, with the battle raging back and forth through Miller's Cornfield and West Woods.Even with the Union troops towering over the confederates with their superior numbers, the Confederate forces led by Lt. Gen. Stonewall Jackson learned to hold their ground near the Dunker Church and continue the ongoing battle. While this was happening, Union forces broke through the Confederate reinforcements at Sunken Road after a fierce fight for the crucial and important position. However, this was a short victory for the union forces, since the temporary advance they had was not capitalized with further advances. The battle had then moved over to a stone bridge over Antietam Creek, with Union forces launching three assaults to take a Confederate-held spot before finally securing it. At last, the final and the most major attack of the battle was made by Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside's Ninth

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