On this day in 1862 one of the key battles of the American Civil War- The Battle of Antietam took place. The Battle was known in the South as “The Battle of Sharpsburg” It took place in Sharpsburg, Maryland. It was the first major battle to take place on Northern soil. There were 23,000 casualties on both sides. It was a bloodbath.

The Confederates were led by General Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest generals in American history. The Union Army was led by General George McClellan. The fight was basically a tactical draw but it did force Lee and his army to retreat from the north and go back to Virginia. At the time Confederate President Jefferson Davis believed a Confederate victory might bring recognition and aid from Great Britain and France.

Abraham Lincoln who was desperate for a victory of any kind would use this “victory” to issue his Emancipation Proclamation at the end of the year.

This was a brutal day of fighting. The worst of it took place at places called the Corn Field, Bloody Lane, Burnside Bridge. The battle raged on from 530am until 5:30pm.

I have been to all of the major battlefields of the Civil War and this is one of my favourites. Sharpsburg hasn’t become a tourist trap like Gettysburg. You tour this battlefield and you get the feel of what it was like 150 years ago. They celebrated the 150th Anniversary this weekend. I can only imagine what it will be like next year at Gettysburg when they have their 150th Anniversary. Gettysburg and Sharpsburg are not that far apart-around an hour. One a weekend trip you could hit both places.

below- Bloody Lane