The Battle of Antietam

By September of 1862, General Robert E. Lee had successfully thwarted the Union army's attempts of capturing the Confederate capital of Richmond. His tactics had proven to be unbeatable and his victories had left Abraham Lincoln frustrated with the Union commanders. Confederate President Jefferson Davis encouraged Lee to gain a victory in Union Territory to further weaken Northern morale and have the North agree to a ceasefire. Davis believed that a major Confederate victory would guarantee French or British military support for the Confederacy.

Two Union soldiers discovered Robert E. Lee's battle plans wrapped in cigars and presented the plans to the Union commander General McClellan. McClellan waited 18 hours before acting on this information and lost the opportunity to decisively defeat Lee's forces.

McClellan's forces consisted of 75,000 men and were opposing Robert E. Lee's 38,000 man army. The Battle of Antietam is the single bloodiest day in U.S. History, with over 23,000 men killed. The Union Victory at Antietam bolstered Northern morale and gave Abraham Lincoln a decisive victory over the Confederacy.

After the victory, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, altering the course of the war and giving the Union a new course.

For Homework Tonight:

Finish Reading the Handout on the Emancipation Proclamation and complete the chart and questions on the page.

In addition, please answer the following questions:

1. According to the Emancipation Proclamation who is now free? (Be specific)

2. What is Abraham Lincoln hoping the newly freed slaves would do?

3. What did Abraham Lincoln ask the freed slaves to do? What could they join?

3. What does Lincoln ask the freed slaves to do? What could they join?