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The Battle of Antietam

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THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM 2

The Battle of Antietam

Also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, the Battle of Antietam made a landmark in

the history of American Civil War. History books records that this battle took place on 17

September, 1862 and was led by the then General George McClellan who was in charge of

the Union army against the Confederate army led by General Robert Lee. The antagonist

Union army fought to end the protagonist Confederate’s advancement into Maryland. The

main aim of Confederates advancement into Maryland was to defeat the Union forces, seal

the Confederate Independence, and prove to France and England that Confederacy/ south was

an independent nation. Confederacy key aim was to have Maryland secede and unite with in

the course of gaining independence from the North. The Union had to respond in defense of

Maryland since it was a slave holding state under the control of the Union. The end result of

that fateful war was bloody and with overwhelming number of casualties in a day’s war. The

battle led to freedom of slavery, ended European support of Confederacy/South, and changed

the peoples’ attitudes towards war.

The Battle of the Antietam enabled the slaves to get freedom they longed for, for a

very long time. This was one of the aftermaths of the battle that cruelly left thousands dead.

Five days after the most horrendous and bloody single day civil war, President Abraham

Lincoln issued an emancipation proclamation by his power as the commander in chief

declaring that all slaves be freed (Streissguth, 2016). Lincoln ordered: “On the first day

January…all persons held as slaves within any State, or designated part of a state, the people

whereof shall be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and

forever free”. This was an ultimatum and the Confederacy had three months to come to peace

terms. Slavery had to be abolished with effect and the southern economy had to come to an

end at the command of the president (Streissguth, 2016). Furthermore, this abolition of

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slavery did not consider to whom the slaves belonged. Whether the owners were from the

south or agreed with the Union, they had to leave the slaves free without any compensation

for the loss of the slaves. All the slaves eventually got absorbed into the Union armies. This

change the course of civil war since the value for humanity had gained foundation for

recognition.

The battle ended European support for the Confederate government. The Antietam’s

sounding guns and powerful explosions plus the artillery fires was news around the world

(Klein, 2012). The battle made Britain and France suffer from shortage of cotton supply from

the south sine they were engaged in the battle. The European nations had to act in support of

confederacy to protect their interest in cotton and slave trade. Klein notes that the European

nations had to back the Southerners by helping them win and recognize the independence of

Confederate States of America (2012). However, situation turned unfavorable for the

Confederate government two days before the news hit London that the southerners were not

far away from being recognized by the European nations as independent. When the news

about the Emancipation Proclamation founded its way to London, the nations retracted their

course by assuming a neutral mode in the war. The news changed the course of civil war by

destroying an economy based on trading on human beings and using the very human being as

tools for providing labor.

The Battle of Antietam changed peoples’ attitude towards civil war worldwide. The

aspect of humanity and value for human life hit people with shocking reality. It changed the

course of war and introduced civil rights as well as new modeling the course of politics

within the American nation and the world. To begin with is the change of peoples’ attitude

towards civil war. After the battle, Gardner, a photographer, took snap images of the

battlefield covered with dead bodies. After sharing the images of the staked and heaped

corpses, the people who viewed the photos got rudely shocked at the terrifying “reality of

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war” (Klein, 2012). War was no longer a friend neither was it a hobby. It was a disaster, a

monster that raids the society’s well being. It was a horror and a thief that takes without

mercy. On the other hand, the result of civil battle at Antietam brought a new perspective to

politics in the United States of America. Foremost, it played a key role in ensuring Lincoln

retained his seat as the commander in chief. President Abraham had to wait till the Union

forces gained victory at the battlefield then after make a proclamation to end slavery. He

would not rush to do it because his government would not force emancipation on the

Southerners had the Union forces lost; that would be to the people, an empty gesture

(Brewster, 2014). Besides, that rush would have affected his political career and that of the

Republicans since within the North, there were leaders who were in support of slavery and

wanted Confederacy to gain victory so they could have their political interests achieved. The

battle provided a crucial moment for the people of the America (Bandow, 2012). It marked a

crucial turning point in the civil war that affected politics and the armed forces.

The Battle of Antietam provided a landmark that reformed the state of the nation and

the people o America. It went further to affect the nations overseas as they had to ponder the

effects of civil war both to the economy and political well being of their nations. For

economic stability there must be political tolerance and value for human life. Bad institutions

such as slavery must be abolished and a foundation for proper progress is established if any

nation is to progress and attain development. Many a times, nations suffer from political

intolerance and constant civil wrangles that keeps them at stagnation. Poverty, unnecessary

deaths, and retrogression are the results. It is time to learn from the history of the Battle of

Antietam and how it changed the course of civil war in the American nation.

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References

Bandow, D. (2012, Sept 17). The Battle of Antietam: The Civil War Drenches America in

Blood. Forbes-Cato Institute. Retrieved from: www.cato.org. Accessed on: 2018 May

Brewster, T. (2014). Lincoln’s Gamble: The Tumultuous Six Months that Gave America the

Emancipation Proclamation and Changed the Course of the Civil War. Toronto.

Scribner.

Klein, C. (2012, Sept 14). History Stories: 7 Ways the Battle of Antietam Changed America.

Retrieved from: www.history.com. Accessed on: 2018, May 8.

Streissguth, T. (2016). The Battle of Antietam. Illinois. Abdo Publishing.

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