The Battle of Antietam – 17 September, 1862

The Battle of Antietam is interesting for several reasons the most important of which for me is that it is the single bloodiest day in American military history. There have been bloodier battles in American wars but no single day matches the blood spilled on those Maryland fields that early day in 1862. The Union victory at Antietam, if you can call it a victory, also provided Abe Lincoln with the opportunity to promulgate the Emancipation Proclamation. An executive act that was totally unconstitutional but that he did anyway for domestic and foreign political reasons. Antietam was the final battle of Lee’s first invasion of the North and while it … More after the Jump…

A visit to Sharpsburg and the Battle of Antietam

I was asked by Patrick to write up a guest article about my recent trip to the Antietam National Battlefield in the Sharpsburg, MD area. I appreciate the opportunity to share my visit with his readers. In order to keep it short I will give a VERY brief overview of the battle and my thoughts about the battlefield and the sights and sounds that accompanied my visit. It is September 16th, 1862 and Union General George B. McClellan and his Army of the Potomac are face to face with Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. On the 17th, the single bloodiest day in American history, the … More after the Jump…