Robert E. Lee intended to take the fight into Union territory, hoping to take Washington, D.C.
But the loss of a pair of his orders, which had been found by Union privates, led to his plans being revealed.
As a result, the nearby Antietam Creek at Sharpsburg was about to become the site of the bloodiest day in American history.
Preparation and Strategy
After encountering stiff Union resistance at the base of South Mountain, Lee realized he needed to move his men to better terrain.
The catch? Many of his men had nothing to eat but apples and corn for roughly a week and were incapacitated with diarrhea, exhaustion, and other illness — a poor way to start a battle.
Meanwhile, Union General George McClellan was on the move. He outnumbered Lee 2-to-1, though McClellan didn’t know that.
The fog of war led him to believe that Lee’s forces were on par with his.
Because of this misconception, McClellan only committed a part of his forces to the battle. And on September 17, 1862, the battle began.
A Clash of Countrymen
The fighting largely took place in a 40-acre cornfield.
Within the first eight hours of fighting, there were already 15,000 casualties. Bullets flew so thick through the air that every stalk of corn was mowed to the ground by lead.
The Union knew they would need to take the nearby bridge to cross Antietam Creek. Ambrose Burnside was sent to do the job.
Five hundred Georgian sharpshooters turned away all who attempted passage at the bridge, but they ran out of ammunition. So, Burnside led a devastating 8,000-man bayonet charge through the area, routing the Confederates.
Burnside was about to roll into the Confederate flank when he was suddenly fired upon by a large group of men in blue — Confederate relief forces just in from Harpers Ferry, wearing Union uniforms. This saved the Confederate flank, stopping Burnside in his tracks.
But despite this halt to the Union advance, eventually, Lee’s men became too shattered to continue.
The Union soldiers were too many and too well-equipped. Lee withdrew, but fearing that Lee was preparing to attack once more, General Burnside failed to pursue Lee.
Had he done so, he likely could have ended the Civil War right then and there. Instead, Lee was able to escape, and the Civil War continued.
A Pyrrhic Victory
Despite taking more losses, the Union secured a victory that marked a major turning point in the war.
But it came at a great cost — the bloodiest day in American history.
By the time the shooting had stopped, the Union had suffered over 12,000 casualties, with the Confederates suffering over 10,000. The dead number 3,600; the wounded, more than 17,000.
You can read more about Antietam in Stephen Sears’ Landscape Turned Red.
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