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Before You Go: Antietam Battlefield, USA

By , About.com Guide

The turning point of the American Civil War was the bloodbath of Antietam. There were 23,000 casualties; and the impact of such a toll on the American president was to discard the concept of settling with the upstart southern states and create the Emancipation Proclamation. Number 3 on battle fields to visit? Antietam, Maryland.

Antietam: Basic Facts

Antietam, Maryland was a pivotal battle during the American Civil War (1860-1865). It marked the first incursion of General Lee, the southern commander, into the north; and the huge number of war casualties made it possible for President Abraham Lincoln to rethink the opportunities for peace and instead issue the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves from the entire United States.

Antietam Battle Statistics

At the end of the day September 17,1862, 23,000 Americans had been killed, wounded or were missing in action. There were more soldiers killed and wounded at Antietam than in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, and Spanish-American War combined.

Antietam: Recent Research and Findings

Archaeological investigations by the NPS and the contract firm URS Greiner have been undertaken since 1994, with excavations at the Locher/Poffenberger tenant farmstead and the north battle areas. Because of the availability of historic photographs, Antietam has also been used to build computer simulations of historic landscapes.

Photographs

The NPS site has historic photographs taken by Alexander Graham two days after the battle (pretty grim), James Hope's battle sketches, and other images.

Learning More

The National Park Service site contains a huge amount of information on the battlefield, everything from how many medals were awarded from the battle to the role of the Dunker People to the kind of artillery used there. The Civil War Home site has several articles and historical documents available to download.

Conservation

Battlefield sites are not usually recognized as cultural resources to be protected. The American Battlefield Protection Program is spearheading an attempt to see that these sad memorials are saved for future generations.

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