Site 2: Antietam (Sharpsburg), 1862
Animated Battle History of Antietam:
historyanimated.com/verynewhistorywaranimated/animations/AntietamAnimation.html |
Prior to the fighting, General Lee crossed the Potomac River into Maryland, hoping to drive the war north and discourage the Union. However, this route placed his troops farther from the supply base in Virginia, forcing his soldiers to live off the land in unsuitable conditions. Lee's army originally planned the bulk of the attack at Harper's Ferry, but since Union General McClellan found a copy of his offense strategy, he decided to move almost all of his units to Sharpsburg instead, beside Antietam Creek. The subsequent attacks of the Union and Confederate armies on September 17th resulted in the bloodiest day in American history, with over 23,000 casualties and 3,500 dead. The picture to the left shows Bloody Lane, a sunken path in which thousands of confederates perished in less than 3 hours of the battle (this is also where Hodge and Horwitz camp out the night). The next day, both armies are too exhausted to continue the fighting, so they call a truce. Lee's army retreats South, unable to use Union defeat to gain recognition as a Confederacy from Europe.
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