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The Battle of Antietam was fought September 17, 1862, before the battle of Fredricksburg which was fought on December 13, 1862.
A set of Lee's orders that had been accidentally dropped in the field by a Confederate officer. These revealed that Lee's divisions were widely separated, and with luck they could be destroyed one-by-one.
It was just one Confederate officer who had dropped a set of Lee's orders in the field. By an extraordinary chance, these were found and shown to McClellan, who realised that Lee's divisions were widely separated, and that he could destroy them piecemeal. Unfortunately there was a Confederate spy in the camp, who was able to alert Lee, and McClellan did not achieve total victory. Still, the Confederates did retreat back to Virginia, and it was recognised as an important Union win.
In 1863, Confederate General Bragg sent General Longstreet and 12, 000 of his men away to try to dislodge a Union unit. This would leave him badly outnumbered when it came time for the big battle.
Gen. Lee had poor intelligence on the terrain, especially the flow of the Potomac River, and the battle plans were compromised when a set was lost. Despite that, due to the many errors of the Union general, the Confederates came very close to defeating a Union force twice their size.
The Battle of Antietam was fought September 17, 1862, before the battle of Fredricksburg which was fought on December 13, 1862.
A set of Lee's orders that had been accidentally dropped in the field by a Confederate officer. These revealed that Lee's divisions were widely separated, and with luck they could be destroyed one-by-one.
Before. Antietam was the unexpected Northern victory that gave Lincoln the credibility to issue the Proclamation without making it sound like a desperate measure.
It was just one Confederate officer who had dropped a set of Lee's orders in the field. By an extraordinary chance, these were found and shown to McClellan, who realised that Lee's divisions were widely separated, and that he could destroy them piecemeal. Unfortunately there was a Confederate spy in the camp, who was able to alert Lee, and McClellan did not achieve total victory. Still, the Confederates did retreat back to Virginia, and it was recognised as an important Union win.
A Confederate officer had dropped a set of Lee's orders in the field, where they were found by Northern troops and brought to the attention of McClellan. By chance, one of McClellan's aides was able to recognise the handwriting of the Confederate General who had signed the orders, confirming that they were genuine. McClellan was sure he could destroy Lee's widely scattered divisions, one by one. Unfortunately, a Confederate spy in the camp was able to alert Lee, and McClellan did not move quickly enough to prevent Lee concentrating his forces at Antietam Creek. The battle was Northern victory, but not the full knock-out blow it should have been.
In 1863, Confederate General Bragg sent General Longstreet and 12, 000 of his men away to try to dislodge a Union unit. This would leave him badly outnumbered when it came time for the big battle.
Confederate General AP Hill graduated from West Point in 1847. He was ranked 15th among his graduating class of 38 cadets. Hill saw major battle action in most of the major Eastern Theater battles including the Battle of Antietam. He was killed 6 days before Lee's surrender at Appomattox.
He was simplywaiting for a Union victory. It happened at Antietam (Sharpsburg).
He wanted to invade Pennsylvania, carrying the war into enemy territory. The British were watching carefully - they had decided to make this the test of Confederate viability, before granting official recognition and sending military aid. Lee's (accidental) defeat at Antietam caused the British to put this idea on the back-burner, where it remained.
Gen. Lee had poor intelligence on the terrain, especially the flow of the Potomac River, and the battle plans were compromised when a set was lost. Despite that, due to the many errors of the Union general, the Confederates came very close to defeating a Union force twice their size.
The bloodiest day of the US Civil War took place at the Battle of Antietam. It was a one day battle on September 17, 1862. Combined casualties were close to 23,000. No battle fought by Americans before or after Antietam had a one day casualty rate higher.
Gettysburg was 1-3 of July 1863 and Vicksburg surrendered the 4th of July. But the Battle of Vicksburg was a siege that lasted about 5 weeks. If the question is which began first, then it would be Vicksburg. Gettysburg ended first. Both were fought in 1863 and the resulting loss of both battles was very demoralizing to the Southern states.