The Battle Of The American Civil War - 1018 Words

On September 17, 1862, the Union and Confederate armies met near the Maryland village of Sharpsburg in a battle that still remains the single bloodiest day in American history. The battle consisted of many attacks and counterattacks between Union General George B. McClellan and The Army of the Potomac against Confederate Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia. Despite being heavily outnumbered, the Confederates managed to fight relentlessly over the course of the struggle. However, after losing over a quarter of his forces, the following day General Lee pulls his army and retreats back to Virginia, ending the Confederate offensive attack. Although the Battle of Antietam was not a complete victory for the Union, it was a major†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, the battle and the Confederate retreat increased the morale in northern soldiers and civilians, including the Army of the Potomac. After months of despair and despondency, spirits and confidence had been lifted in the North. Newspapers and press rejoiced of the great victory and spoke of the wonderful outcomes the Nation will experience as a result for centuries to come. For instance, one daily newspaper, the New York Herald, declared that â€Å"the battle of Antietam has broken the back of the rebellion [and] changed the tide of affairs, and victory now attends us everywhere.† (138) This battle was the first time that the North had fought upon their own territory and soldiers, and civilians of western Maryland, began to feel a deep-seated American patriotism. FINAL SENTENCE Another significant outcome of Antietam was the issuing of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Two months earlier, Lincoln had called a meeting with the Cabinet to announce his intentions of issuing an Emancipation Proclamation. However, at this time, for both domestic and foreign reasons, members of the Cabinet counseled Lincoln to postpone issuing the proclamation until the Uni on was again experiencing military success. The Battle of Antietam proved to be the military victory that Lincoln and the Cabinet needed. On September