Tuesday, March 20, 2018

The Battle of Antietam


Former Watertown, Massachusetts, resident Ronald Russo has made a point of traveling to many major Civil War battlefields. Civil War enthusiasts and historians like Ronald Russo know the Battle of Antietam, also referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg, to be the single deadliest day in American military history. 

In September 1862, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac clashed at Antietam Creek. The battle marked a grave moment in the war, with the Emancipation Proclamation being held back until another Union victory and domestic turmoil for the Union government. What could have been a major Confederate push, however, was stymied by the discovery of a Confederate special military order by Union forces.

Before the offensive could begin, multiple Confederate generals faced heavy casualties due to this discovery, and were forced to regroup at Antietam Creek, setting the stage for battle. Confederate General Robert E. Lee went into battle with fewer and more-exhausted troops than anticipated, and was forced to mount repeated counteroffensives just to avoid being crushed, though reinforcements were able to damage Union troops as well.

After claiming their wounded and dead, the Confederate Army limped back into Virginia. The Union troops allowed them to leave, the goal of preventing an advance completed. This narrow Union victory allowed the Emancipation Proclamation to go on, and ultimately gave the Union the domestic stability it needed to win the Civil War.