American Patriot
Mayor
Let me respectfully correct you. Your comment that over 30,000 soldiers died is a common mistake. That figure represents casualties (dead, wounded, captured, and missing) not battle deaths. 6,000 men, from both sides, died at Antietam in that one day battle. This was the greatest loss of life for Americans, since all who died that day were Ameicans. Even the Normandy invasion and the 9/11 attacks did not result in a greater number of deaths on one day, in our entire history.
That battlefield is one of my favorites.
My mistake, I had read that in Shelby Foote's book the Battle of Antietam, I must have misunderstood what the number actually represented. I knew that many died and I also knew that if General McLullen had pursued the Confederates the war may well have ended with that battle, but he chose not to, President Lincoln later relieved him for good for failing to engage the enemy. Antietam was actually three battles and A.P. Hill smashed into the Union forces at the stone bridge, what is amazing is that at the end of the battle no ground was gained by either side. Later a photo exposition was held in New York City titled, " The Dead of Antietam". Five days after the battle Lincoln announced the emancipation proclamation, that freed all of the slaves.