Battle of Antietam

HistoryCentral · Primary Source & History

In the aftermath of the Confederate victory at Manassas, General Lee led his army into Maryland– in a gamble to win the war. His plans fell into Union hands, and the Union army massed against him outside a little town in Maryland, called Sharpsburg, near the Antietam Creek. In a day long battle, 23,582 Americans became casualties. Both sides lost an equal number of men. The Confederate force, which was much smaller, however, was forced to withdraw. In the aftermath of the battle– considered to be a Union victory, Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation.