Remembering the Battle of Antietam

This statue commemorates the battlefield at Antietam, the first major battle to be fought in the North and one of the bloodiest of the war. (Scott Warren/Aurora/Getty Images)

While I am not exactly a Civil War buff, I do find this conflict very fascinating. For me, it's one of the most interesting time periods in the history of the United States, if, perhaps, not the most. I can't really say when my interest in the Civil War started, although it was most likely influenced by my Dad's interest in it. One of his prized possessions was a three-volume set commemorating the Centennial History of the Civil War by well-known historian Bruce Catton. These books always had a prominent spot on our bookshelf, and one of these days, I will get around to reading them!

I have been able to visit two Civil War battlefields. The first was Gettysburg (once when I was very little, and again more than 10 years ago). The other one was Antietam in Maryland. My husband and I were on our way to a long weekend in Baltimore and we stopped to tour the battlefield on the way. It was not a battle that I knew very well, so we went on a Ranger-led tour. It is a very moving experience, walking where so many young men lost their lives so many years ago. In fact, the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam is coming up on September 17th.

The Battle of Antietam (the Battle of Sharpsburg to the Confederates) was an important day in the War. This was the first major battle between the two sides on Northern soil. General Robert E. Lee was on a quest to invade Pennsylvania going through Western Maryland, and with General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson's success at Harper's Ferry, VA on September 15th, Lee decided to continue on with his plan.

This now meant taking on the Union, led by General George McClellan at Sharpsburg. The Union was very concerned about Lee's advance into Maryland because it would mean that Washington, DC might be vulnerable to an attack from the South. McClellan had learned of Lee's initial plan, which led him to a skirmish at South Mountain in Maryland. Lee was prepared to leave Maryland when he learned of Jackson's success at Harper's Ferry. The stage was set for a push by the Confederates at Antietam Creek.

Dawn on September 17th began what would be the bloodiest single day of fighting during the War. The battle would last about 12 hours and be concentrated in three areas -- the cornfield, Sunken Road (or Bloody Lane, as it would be known, because of the number of Confederate bodies stacked there), and Burnside Bridge. The fighting would move from north to south, starting at the cornfield and ending at the bridge. When all was said and done, there were nearly 23,000 casualties on both sides.

The Union is considered to be the victor in this battle, mostly because Lee's troops withdrew and fled back to Virginia. Because of a serious delay after General Burnside took the bridge across Antietam Creek, the Confederates had a chance to get more reinforcements, which stopped the General's advance.

Another aspect of this battle was that President Abraham Lincoln had the opportunity to announce his Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. The Proclamation took effect January 1, 1863.

". . . on the first day of January . . . all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free."  President Abraham Lincoln, preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, September 22, 1862

If you'd like to learn more about this battle, or any other battle in the Civil War, please stop by and check out the Monroeville Public Library's special Civil War Collection, located within our Reference Department. The majority of the titles were generously donated by a patron.

To check out a complete list of books and DVDs about the Battle of Antietam, click here.

-- Post by Tracy