Battle Of Antietam Essay

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This battle ended a huge amount of soldiers’ lives within twelve hours of fighting. The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest day in Civil War history. but it was a pivotal battle during the war. The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July first and ended on July third. General Robert E. Lee’s biggest mistake took a huge turn in the war. Sherman’s March to the Sea was a great victory for the union. The plan of how General William T. Sherman handled this battle was cruel, but it helped bring the war to an end. The Battle of Antietam, The battle of Gettysburg, and Sherman's March to the Sea were one of the most pivotal battles in determining the outcome of the war.
The Battle of Antietam was one of the bloodiest and most shocking battles in American …show more content…

After The Confederate’s last victory, General Robert E. Lee decided to invade Pennsylvania in hope to relieve pressure on Virginia. Not only did Lee hope to relieve pressure on Virginia, he wanted to keep up with his winning streak in the war. On the first day of the battle, Union soldiers retreated from the battle and became a confederate victory. However, Lee’s winning streak didn’t last long. On the second day of the battle, The Union was on the verge of losing. As Lee’s army was about to win the second day of the battle, The Union charged at them which caused Lee’s army to retreat. On the third day, Lee made the biggest mistake in the battle.
Lee commanded that his army used a tactic known as “Pickett's Charge”. Two out of three of the Confederate army were either killed or wounded while attempting to attack The Union from the middle chain.” Many historians consider Pickett’s Charge the end of Confederate hopes for victory.” (Jennifer Stock) Not only did Lee’s mistake got his soldiers killed and wounded, but his mistake became the turning point in the …show more content…

Sherman’s plan caused a great destruction in the battle. On November fifteenth, eighteen-sixty-four, Sherman led his group of sixty-thousand soldiers to Georgia in hope of civilians abandoning the Confederate. Sherman warned southerners that if they don’t make peace with The Union, he would destroy their property and promised them a more difficult war. After attempting to convince Southerners to make peace, Sherman did what he claimed he would. Sherman confiscated The Confederate’s resources, bent their railroads, and burnt down buildings. Sherman and his army destroyed four cities and Georgia’s state capital. However, Sherman decided to spare Savannah because he was impressed by its looks. Confederate troops were outnumbered and couldn’t prevent Sherman from continuing what he did. After Sherman completed his march on December twenty-first, eighteen-sixty-three, Sherman left Georgia leaving the destruction he had made and declared this as a Union victory. Sherman believed that if he destroyed Georgia’s property, it would end the war quickly. “He believed that this psychological warfare would end the Civil War more quickly and with less loss of life than traditional battlefield conflicts.” (Marszalek, John F.) Although this battle didn’t end the Civil War, like Sherman believed it would, it brought a great significance to the war. With the success of the battle, it took away The Confederate’s resources which would weaken them in the war. This successful

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