A Day That Unexpectedly Changed America
September 17,1862
Antietam
“The Western Hemisphere had never seen any action to equal what was taking
place at Antietam”.... “Thousands of men killed & they’re just shot down in
heaps.”.... “People are appalled by the casualties -- they just annihilated
each other.”.... “It was a battle ultimately about casualties &
destruction.”.... “It is impossible to visualize the carnage.”
It was the single bloodiest day in American history (over 23,000 men were
killed or wounded) & yet out of the ashes rose “a new birth of freedom.”
September 17, 1862 was a day that would change the course of the United States
forever.
In the summer of 1862 the United States was in trouble. The Confederate Army
of Northern Virginia led by Robert E. Lee had achieved major victories over
the Union Army of the Potomac at the Seven Days Battles of Richmond and the
Second Battle of Bull Run. President Abraham Lincoln knew the country could
suffer no more major defeats. Many Northerners were becoming concerned that
they were going to lose. Union victory, which seemed inevitable at the
beginning of the war was now looking almost impossible.
The British needed Southern cotton to run their clothing factories but they
were not yet convinced the South was going to win. In addition, the issue of
slavery was making them hesitant. It would be a huge moral compromise to
support a slave holding nation after they had recently abolished slavery
throughout the empire.
Knowing this, Lee decided to take his troops into Union territory. His goal
was to persuade Northern citizens that this increasingly unpopular war needed
to end. In addition, he believed another victory might persuade the British to
help the Confederacy. Lee knew that British & French intervention would
probably ensure a Confederate victory (much like the French help in the
Revolutionary War did 80 years before).
By the summer of 1862 President Lincoln began to realize that ending slavery
was a key to victory. In order to restore the Union slavery had to go.
Emancipation would discourage European aid & severely weaken the South
(physically & economically) but he needed a major victory to make his
announcement. If he issued his “Emancipation Proclamation” now it would look
like (in the words of Secretary of State William Seward) “the last shriek on
the retreat”.
Robert E. Lee was taking a great risk by invading the North but he believed
that Maryland, a slave state, would rise against the Union. He didn’t realize
that his Southern army would be seen as invaders by the citizens of Maryland.
Even worse was the fact that potential Confederate volunteers had second
thoughts enlisting when they saw Lee’s ragged troops (who had no underwear &
were often shoeless) living on a diet of apples & corn.
As the sun rose on September 17 the Battle of Antietam began. The main action
took place on the left side of the Union lines where General Joseph Hooker’s
troops began to advance, shoulder to shoulder, “Brother with Brother”, through
a 30 acre cornfield. As they began to emerge on the other side they were met
by withering rounds of fire from the Confederate forces. For the next three
hours tens of thousands of soldiers engaged in deadly combat. In the confusion
of blindness (from the fog & smoke) and gunfire so loud that it was almost
impossible to hear the command of their officers, the field changed hands 15
times. It was only when the Confederates ran out of units that the Union was
able to take control of the field (the corn had been obliterated in the first
hour of battle). In only 3 hours 9,000 soldiers had been killed or wounded &
yet there were two more phases of the battle to be fought.
It could have been a resounding victory for the North if the Union Commander
George McClellan had only attacked 2 days earlier. Having discovered Lee’s
battle plans wrapped around 3 cigars on September 14th McClellan knew that Lee
had broken his troops into 4 sections & that only 20,000 troops under Lee’s
command remained in Sharpsburg. McClellan, ever cautious because he was always
scared to lose troops, kept his 60,000 troops in check for 2 days allowing Lee
to bring up 20,000 reserves from nearby Harper’s Ferry, Va.
In midmorning the battle shifted to the center of the Confederate lines at a
place called the “Sunken Road”. The Southern soldiers were ready & waiting
when the Union troops came over the top of the hillside. Framed against the
blue sky Northern soldiers were being mowed down but still they came, line
after line. Eventually they were able to get along side the road & the tables
were turned as it became a Union killing ground. The Confederate troops were
forced to retreat & most were shot down on the open ground. Robert E. Lee was
close to suffering a catastrophic defeat but McClellan refused a request for
reinforcements & called off the attack.
By mid - afternoon the battlefield was silent. Both sides had suffered
terrific casualties & the soldiers were exhausted but there would be one more
brutal stand at Antietam Creek. Union General Ambrose Burnside & the 12,000
troops under his command had been sitting all day waiting for the signal to
attack. If they could defeat the 3,000 soldiers from Georgia who were holding
the bridge that spanned the creek they could clinch a Union victory. It took
several hours but when they secured the bridge & broke the Confederate lines
the end seemed near for Lee & his remaining troops. However, at precisely that
moment a dust cloud rose in the distance & General A. P. Hill’s division
arrived after a 17 mile march from Harper’s Ferry. This near miracle stalled
the Union advance & turned the Civil War around for the next 2 years. As night
fell & the fighting subsided nothing had been settled. Even though 23, 000
soldiers had been killed or wounded (9 times the number of casualties at D-Day
in World War II) the Battle of Antietam was a draw, no land had changed hands.
The Union held the high ground & Lee waited for the seemingly inevitable
attack the next day but when it didn’t come he took his remaining troops and
slipped back into Virginia under the cover of darkness. Although it was not
the resounding victory Lincoln had been looking for, public opinion saw the
Confederate retreat as a victory, and it did give him the opportunity to issue
the Emancipation Proclamation that had been filed away in his desk since July.
On September 22nd, saying “God has decided in favor of the slaves,” Lincoln
freed the slaves in the Confederate States. Although the Border States were
allowed to keep their slaves (for now) the War to save the Union had been
transformed into a fight to end slavery.
Now that President Lincoln had changed the purpose of the war Great Britain &
France could not support a country that was fighting to preserve slavery. In
the aftermath of Antietam General McClellan was removed from command and when
Lee’s army attacked the North again at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (a battle
often called “Antietam Part II) in July of 1863 it was defeated. When Lincoln
helped dedicate the Union Cemetery in November 1863 he urged the North to
continue fighting with “increased devotion” so that the United States “shall
have a new birth of freedom.”
The Battle of Antietam saved our nation & led to the abolition of slavery. It
was a day that unexpectedly changed America.
A Day That Unexpectedly Changed America
September 17,1862 Antietam
Use the reading (& the video) to answer the following
questions in complete sentences.
1) Explain why the U. S. was in trouble in the summer of 1862.
2) Why would the British support the South in the Civil War? What was making
them hesitant?
3) Why did Robert E. Lee attack the North?
4) Why did President Lincoln decide to end slavery?
5) How come Maryland did not support the Southern army?
6) Describe the battle at Miller’s Cornfield (setting, numbers, length, # of
casualties (dead & wounded),winner, etc.)
7) Explain how the Union could have defeated Lee’s army AND why they didn’t.
8) Describe the battle at the “Sunken Road’ (also called “the Bloody Lane”)
{the beginning, the turning point, the end}
9) Describe the final battle at Antietam Creek. Who saved the Confederate Army
(explain)?
10) Who won the Battle of Antietam? How many casualties (dead & wounded) were
there?
11) What did President Lincoln issue 5 days after the Battle of Antietam? Whom
did it free? How did it change the purpose of the Civil War for both sides?
Think About It!:
Why is September 17, 1862 considered the most important day in American
History? (1 paragraph)