Battle of Sharpsburg

Battle of Antietam
Battle of Sharpsburg

The Battle of Antietam, by Kurz & Allison (1878), depicting the scene of action at Burnside's Bridge

Date	September 17, 1862 (1862-09-17)
Location	Washington County, near Sharpsburg, Maryland 39°28′24″N 77°44′41″W / 39.47333°N 77.74472°W / 39.47333; -77.74472Coordinates: 39°28′24″N 77°44′41″W / 39.47333°N 77.74472°W / 39.47333; -77.74472
Result	Tactically inconclusive; Union strategic victory

Belligerents

United States (Union)

CSA (Confederacy)

Commanders and leaders

George B. McClellan

Robert E. Lee

Units involved

Army of the Potomac

Army of Northern Virginia

Strength

87,164

38,000 "engaged"

Casualties and losses

12,410
2,108 killed;
9,549 wounded;
753 captured/missing

10,316
1,567 killed;
7,752 wounded;
1,018 captured/missing

The Battle of Antietam /ænˈtiːtəm/, also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South, was fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland and Antietam Creek as part of the Maryland Campaign. It was the first field army-level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War to take place on Union soil and is the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.

After pursuing the Confederate general Robert E. Lee into Maryland, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan of the Union Army launched attacks against Lee's army, in defensive positions behind Antietam Creek. At dawn on September 17, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's corps mounted a powerful assault on Lee's left flank. Attacks and counterattacks swept across Miller's Cornfield, and fighting swirled around the Dunker Church. Union assaults against the Sunken Road eventually pierced the Confederate center, but the Federal advantage was not followed up. In the afternoon, Union Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside's corps entered the action, capturing a stone bridge over Antietam Creek and advancing against the Confederate right. At a crucial moment, Confederate Maj. Gen. A. P. Hill's division arrived from Harpers Ferry and launched a surprise counterattack, driving back Burnside and ending the battle. Although outnumbered two-to-one, Lee committed his entire force, while McClellan sent in less than three-quarters of his army, enabling Lee to fight the Federals to a standstill. During the night, both armies consolidated their lines. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to skirmish with McClellan throughout September 18, while removing his battered army south of the Potomac River.

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