The Battle of Antietam or Battle of Sharpsburg, was an famous combat of the Civil War. About fifty thousand Confederate troops led by General Robert E. Lee attempted an invasion of the North. His troops were intercepted on Sept.17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Md., by a Union army of seventy thousand men under the command of General George Brinton McCIellan. In the ensuing action, the Union army suffered approximately 12,000 casualties, including 2108 killed; at least 2700 Confederate soldiers were killed, and about ten thousand were wounded or missing. Lee's army retreated across the Potomac River the following day, making the outcome technically a Union victory. The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000 casualties.
The name of the battle is derived from Antietam Creek, near the battle area; the area was designated a national battlefield site in 1890. Antietam National Cemetery is in the vicinity.
