The Battle of Antietam | A250 Mini Documentary

In September 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee led his army into Maryland, launching the first major Confederate invasion of the North. Facing him was Union General George McClellan, whose hesitation and caution had already tested President Lincoln’s patience.

Along the banks of Antietam Creek, the two armies met in one of the bloodiest days in American history. When the smoke cleared, more than 23,000 soldiers were dead or wounded, and the course of the Civil War and the nation’s purpose had shifted forever.