Name : The Battle of Antietam or The Battle of Sharpsburg

Date : September 17 ,1862

Location: Washington County, near Sharpsburg , Maryland

Result : Union Victory

Union commander : George B. McClellan

General who skillfully reorganized Union forces in the first year of the American Civil War (1861–65) but drew wide criticism for repeatedly failing to press his advantage over Confederate troops.

Confederate commander : Robert E.Lee

An American general known for commanding the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War from 1862 until his surrender in 1865.

The battle of Antietam began on the morning of September 17, 1862 when the Union Army , attacked the Confederate army .The battle continued through the whole day .First the union attacked and then the confederates counterattacked. It was a cruel fighting and the day is remembered as one of the bloodiest in American history. Despite having 2 times less soldiers , the Confederate army continued fighting for the whole day . General McCllenan was cautious and never used his entire force, while Robert E.Lee had his entire army engaged in battle in order to hold off the Union soldiers . In the end were killed 2,108 Union soldiers and 1,547 Confederate soldiers .

Facts

The Union had around 87,000 soldiers, while the Confederates had only 38,000.

Around 3,500 soldiers were killed and 17,000 wounded.

The battle was named by the Union after the nearby creek called Antietam. It was called the Battle of Sharpsburg by the South.

Two Union soldiers had found a copy of Lee's battle plans before the battle.However, General McClellan moved slowly on the news and never really took advantage of the knowledge

President William McKinley fought for the Union at the Battle of Antietam. He was a sergeant at the time.

Famous nurse Clara Barton was present at the battle taking care of wounded soldiers

The battle lasted for 12 hours.