Antietam
National Battlefield has been named the “Bloodiest One Day Battle in American
History.” On September 17, 1862, General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army
moved across the Potomac River from Virginia into Sharpsburg, Maryland. This
battle started on a rainy morning right after dawn. The Union’s Army General,
George B. McClellan, stood his ground as the battle lasted for one full day and
ended in what could be seen as a “draw,” but only depending on whose
perspective you see it from. This battle had the most casualties of any battle
fought: 23,000 killed, wounded, or missing.
It is said that there were three major reasons for this
particular battle including: the Maryland Campaign of 1862, the first invasion
of the North, and the Army of the North in Virginia. The Maryland Campaign of
1862 was General Robert E. Lee’s strategic invasion into the North, which ended
with the battle at Antietam. As stated before, this invasion was begun by
General Robert E. Lee of the Confederate Army across the Potomac River. This
battle is known for its history of course as the bloodiest one day battle in
America; also because it led to President Lincoln’s issuance of the
Emancipation Proclamation. This issuance also changed the purpose of the war
making it a dual purpose: the preservation of the Union and the end of slavery
as an institution. The proclamation reflected that President Lincoln had a new
way of thinking about the conflict. Until this time, the war was only seen as a
rebellion, a fight to preserve the Union without touching slavery. Lincoln had
stated, “ If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it;
and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it’ and if I could
save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that… I have
here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no
modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be
free.” Now Lincoln was threatening to crush the Confederacy by destroying
slavery, the entirety of its economy and way of life. Now the North was waging
a moral crusade to free the slaves.
I call this battle a turning point mainly because President
Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but also because of what it
meant for people fighting in the war. The proclamation allowed for all who fought
to fight for more than just their nation as white people but for the completion
of the entire nation. Many people will argue that the Civil War was not fought
over slavery, yet the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation will counter
all arguments. The North made it their responsibility to fight for the freedoms
of enslaved African Americans. This change meant a lot in regards of how it can
be interpreted. Lincoln did not want to make freeing slaves a apart of this war
and in the end it was what he had to do for the fight.
This battle and this place means a lot to me, mainly because I am an African
American woman and if the Emancipation Proclamation had never been issued who
knows where I would be today. Would I be allowed to go to on such a trip or to
such a grand university or many of the freedoms that I enjoy daily? Maybe
President Lincoln would have sent all African Americans back to Africa or maybe
slavery would have pushed into the North, who’s to say what could have been? I
am just hugely grateful that the battle could lead to such great movements in
history. I am proud of my country to become a morally better place; I just wish
that all of the soldiers who lost their lives fighting had not. I wish that
people who lost loved ones could get them back. I am sorry that my country had
to go through things like this battle to get to where we are now.
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A memorial to the fallen soldiers |
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A memorial to the fallen soldiers |
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The field in which they fought |
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Bloody Lane; where so many lost their lives |
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The possible view as soldiers died |
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Bloody lane from an aerial view |
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Me contemplating |
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Burnside bridge; the final battle |
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The bridge at a glance |
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The river...where so many most likely fell. |
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Taking a refreshing dip. |
-Shana Sanders
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