Osprey Campaign 32 : Antietam 1862 : The Civil War's Bloodiest Day

Antietam was one of the critical battles of the American Civil War. The fortunes of the South were riding high after the resounding victory at Second Manassas. While Bragg and Kirby Smith invaded Kentucky, Lee's invasion of Maryland was intended to maintain the Southern offensive momentum, to wrest Maryland from the Union and to win the recognition of the European powers. However his bold plan was compromised - and at the Antietam River the Army of Northern Virginia was fighting for its very life. Norman Stevens looks not only at Antietam but at the whole period beginning with the Union retreat at Second Manassas and ending with their victory at Antietam. The battles of Crampton's Gap and Turner's Gap are examined at as is the issue of the Confederate Special Order 191 and the importance of its discovery by Union forces. The book, having detailed the background to Antietam, it examines the battle's phases and looks at the effects of its result in the wider context: Antietam not only changed the military character of the war but also the political issues as well. The Northern victory encouraged Lincoln to make public the Emancipation Proclamation in a presidential decree of 22 September 1862, to take effect from 1 January 1863. After Antietam the war went beyond mere politics: not only the maintenance of the Union but also the destruction of slavery and the survival of both Northern and Southern societies were explicitly at stake.

Contents

• The Campaign
• The Opposing Commanders
• The Opposing Armies
• South Mountain
• Opposing Plans - 17 September 1862
• Antietam - Hooker's Attack
• Antietam - Bloody Lane
• Antietam - Burnside Bridge
• Aftermath
• The Battlefield Today
• Chronology
• A Guide to Further Reading
• Wargaming the Antietam Campaign