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The Union army fought very poorly for the first year of the war, experiencing defeats at the First Battle of Bull Run and every other major battle up to the Second Battle of Bull Run. Despite the string of defeats, the Union Army was not beaten but was dispirited. Morale was very low. Most of the army withdrew to positions north of the Potomac River to regroup. Confederate President Jefferson Davis wanted to end the war, which he believed he could do in one of several ways: Defeat the main force of the Union army, take Washington, DC, topple the Lincoln government, or gain recognition from major European powers. Davis ordered General Lee to cross the Potomac and put pressure on Washington. As the Confederate Army drew near to the capital, the Union army was quickly organized to engage and the two armies met near Sharpsburg, Maryland, along Antietam Creek.

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13y ago
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12y ago

The Battle of South Mountain(Boonesborough) was a precursor to the Battle of Sharpsburg(Antietam). McClellan attacked Lee's Army blocking him from going any farther north,so Lee ordered his Army to concentrate at Sharpsburg.

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11y ago
  • Dawn September 17: Hooker mounted a powerful assault on Lee's left flank, which began the single bloodiest day.
  • Burnside's corps finally got into action.
  • At a crucial moment, A.P. Hill's division arrived from Harpers Ferry and counterattacked, driving back Burnside and saving the day.
  • Lee committed his entire force, enabling him to fight the Federals to a standstill; during the night, both armies consolidated their lines.
  • After dark on the 18th, Lee ordered the battered Army of Northern Virginia to withdraw.

Parsed version of americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarbattles/p/cwbattle_antie.htm

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14y ago

It led immediately to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all Southern slaves to be 'thenceforward and forever free', and turning it into a war on slavery. This would prevent the British from helping the Confederates (which they were planning to do) because it would make them look pro-slavery.

Lincoln had had to wait all summer for a Northern victory that would give him the credibility to make this announcement.

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Q: What events lead up to the Battle of Antietam?
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