The Battle of Antietam
Antietam, also called the Battle of Sharpsburg, especially in the South, was fought on September 17th, 1862 near Sharpsburg, Maryland. Antietam was the first major battle of the Civil War fought on Union soil. Major General George B. McClellan led the Union Army and launched attacks against Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army behind Antietam's creek. Although the Union Army had greater numbers, Lee shifted his forces and moved the interior lines to meet every challenge they were faced with. Lee’s invasion of Maryland was delayed but McClellan failed to destroy the army and the Confederate Army went back to Virginia without interference. Because Robert E. Lee’s troops withdrew from the battle first, Antietam was technically a Union Victory. The casualty totals were 12,401 for the Union and 10,316 for the Confederates. Antietam gave President Lincoln the confidence to write the Emancipation Proclamation which discouraged the British and French governments from joining the Confederate sides.