President Abraham Lincoln visiting the Union camp at Antietam with General George B. McClellan and his staff after the battle. Not long after this photo was taken, Lincoln removed McClellan from his position and issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. Mathew Brady photo courtesy of NARA.

Antietam Then

It did not provide Abraham Lincoln with a reason to promote General Grant from the western theatre, even though his displeasure after the battle of Antietam would lead to his final removal of Union General George McClellan from commander of the army and spur his election rival in the presidential election of 1864. There would be several commanders in between before the ascension of Grant after Vicksburg. What made Antietam important, beyond the terrible fighting that occurred all over its cornfields, sunken roads, fords, bridges, woods, and hillsides, was the rationale. The northern victory at Antietam, no matter how marginal it may have been, gave President Abraham Lincoln the right time to announce to all nations on earth that the rationale for this war was finally going to change. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation in response to the Union victory on these Maryland fields, changing forever the idea that the Civil War was mostly about states rights, and yes, the idea about whether new states entering into the Union would be free or slave. It changed the rationale to that of a war that was about human dignity, and whether slavery should end, at some time in the future, altogether. Once the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, even before its enactment the next year, and in years to come, it would predominantly halt the idea in the European capitals of London and Paris that recognition of the Confederacy would come, once a victory on northern soil was achieved. They were not hesitant to be seen as backers of a fight for slavery. Once General Robert E. Lee would finally move into northern territory again in June of 1863, he had lost one main rationale for northern victory. Antietam had cost him that.

The day of September 17, 1862, was an infamous day. The armies of both North and South had gathered on these verdant farm fields of Maryland over the several days before. Fighting had begun on the north end of the field the day before, but it had been nothing like the terrible slaughter that was about to begin. It was a foggy and damp morning as the troops began to mass for battle. For twelve hours they would fight, from the initial section of the battle in the north with Union General Hooker advancing into the Cornfield, East, and West Woods. As the day advanced, fighting continued around the Dunker Church (historic photo left with battle damage, by Alexander Gardner, September 1862, courtesy LOC), then into the center of the battlefield at the Sunken Road, and later at Burnside Bridge, where General Ambrose Burnside's men would attack the Confederate right. The small force of Confederates on the steep hillside above the bridge would hold steady for three hours, before finally relenting at 1:00 p.m. At that point, the Union army was winning the day, despite its terrible toll in men, but a delay by Burnside to continue pushing the battle allowed Confederate troops approaching the Harpers Ferry to get into position, and stem the advance of the Union army.

One day later, the Confederate army retreated, allowing the Union to claim victory, and Lincoln to have a victory that would allow the Proclamation to emancipate. Antietam, the creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland, and the battlefield that would forever hold its name, would now take its place in American history as one of the most important landscapes, a symbol of the day that would change the face of the the United States forever.

Dunker Church - The small white church was the site of a good part of the major fighting and sustained damage from the shot and shells of the troops.

The Cornfield - The bloody sight of a massive conflict between Union and Confederate troops that saw waves and men within its stalks cut down with one hour. This was the site of most of the heavy casualties of the day, 23,000 killed, wounded, and missing, making this the bloodiest day in Civil War history.

The Sunken Road - As the battle of September 17 moved forward into the central part of the day, this central area was defined by a sunken farm road, six to eight feet below the surface of the fields. Confederate troops massed there in defense of the middle section of their line. Their fire into approaching Union soldiers was a heinous example of Civil War fighting. Eventually, Union soldiers overtook the Sunken Road. Scores of bodies were strewn along the fence work and depression.

Burnside Bridge - On the southern end of the field, northern troops were massed in a valley beside Antietam Creek. To join the day's fighting, they were ordered to cross the Burnside Bridge spanning the water and take the hillside filled with Confederate soldiers. This narrow bridge was crossed, and the hill taken, but many casualties ensued.

Photo above: Dunker Church and the Maryland Monument on Antietam National Battlefield. Below: Sunken Road in the center of the Antietam Battlefield.

Antietam Now

Antietam and Sharpsburg Today - One of the best examples of an intact battlefield and growing through the last decade and today due to extensive preservation efforts, the almost pristine landscape allows the Civil War visitor to get a sense of the scope of battle and its landscape as well as any of the preserved battlefields across the Virginia theatre. Most of the major sites are intact, including Dunker Church, the Cornfield, the Sunken Road, Burnside Bridge, as well as the Pry House, which served as General McClellan's headquarters.

Minute Walk in History

Above: It's a Minute or More Walk in History around the entire battlefield, from the Cornfield where the men of both sides walked through, many times to their demise, to the Sunken Road, Burnside Bridge, and then the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation that a thin Union victory allowed President Lincoln to make after the battle. Below: Walk with us through scenes of the 160 Anniversary of the Battle of Antietam fought around Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland, including the battles walks, demonstrations, and commemoration of the worst single day of casualties in American military history.