1. Antietam The Battle of Sharpsburg September 17, 1862

2. Sharpsburg, MD (Antietam Creek)

3. Union and Confederate Commanders Union: George B. Mcclellan confederate: Robert e. lee

4. Union and Confederate Commanders George b. mcclellan Robert e. lee Born PA in 1826 Graduated 2nd in his class at West Point Fought in Mexico Assistant - Instructor at West Point Controlled the Union Army Studied in Europe Born in VA in 1807 Graduated 2nd in his class at West Point Fought in Mexico Superintendent of West Point Brigadier - General (highest Confederate rank)

5. The Battle First Confederate attempt to bring the war to the North Lee led an unsuccessful blockade against the North, but was out numbered 2:1 Both armies established lines on Antietam Creek Battle opened at dawn on the 17th Confederate troops “exposed for near an hour to a terrific storm of shell, canister and musketry” After a series of unexpected and brutal attacks, Lee began to withdraw across the Potomac

6. Outcome Neither side gained a true decisive victory. Because of Lee’s failure to bring the war to the North, Britain did not recognise the Confederacy as a country. Lincoln used the “win” to issue the emancipation proclamation On January 1st 1863, all slaves were freed

7. Interesting Facts Bloodiest single day battle in American history, with a grand total of approximately 23,000 casualties The battle lasted 12 hours, from 5:30 am to 5:30 pm Two Union soldiers found a copy of Lee’s battle plans wrapped around 3 cigars

8. So What? Antietam was the bloodiest single day battle in the history of the US Despite knowing Lee’s plans, McClellan did not act on this information. Would this have changed the battle? The victory allowed Lincoln to alter the meaning of the War- now it was not only about restoration, but equality

9. Sources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Antietam http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/About%20the%20General.htm http://www.civilwarhome.com/macbio.htm http://www.nndb.com/people/287/000050137/ http://www.civilwarhome.com/antietamdescription.htm http://www.historycentral.com/civilwar/antietam.html http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/battle-of-antietam