Truemors
is reporting from
Member
NP Rank:
NP Rank:
The Battle of Sharpsburg
Share: 
by YankeeJim | December 28, 2010 at 03:47 am
244 views | 0 Recommendations | 1 comment
Photos
Antietam - a battle fought in 1862 in the American Civil War
I have stood aside the simple creek, Antietam, and watched the lazy stream meander toward Burnside’s bridge, the one built by the Civil War General who also crossed here.
One day in the past, George Washington passed by here to join General Braddock on the fateful attack of Ft. Duquenes where Braddock would lose his life fighting the French and Indians, to be buried in the road there.
That was the Seven Years War long before the American Civil War and before the American Revolutionary War where Washington would serve as commander for eight long years before defeating the British. The struggle on American soil for freedom would not stop there.
Antietam serves as a symbol of the huge struggle to implement the US Consitution and Bill of Rights. While another battle might become more famous, that of Gettysburg to the north of here, it is here in cornfields where men shot one another down, by a church there, and in the sunken road below.
“The battle of Antietam took place on September 17, 1862. This was Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the north. Following his recent victories over the Union during the Seven Days battles and Second Manassas, Lee wanted to continue his good fortunes with an attack into Maryland. On September 3, 1862 Lee crossed the Potomac with 40,000 troops.
Lee had several reasons for taking the war north. First he wanted to liberate Maryland, which was a slave holding border state with many southern sympathizers. If he could win a great victory here he could add another state to the Confederate cause.
Confederate dead in front of Dunker Church
He also wanted to prove to the great European powers that the Confederacy was a legitimate country. A big victory on Union soil would surely do just that. If Europe recognized the south as an independent country they would begin to send supplies and weapons, which the Confederacy desperately needed. There would also be a chance that a European power could enter the war on the side of the south thus ensuring their victory and independence.”
Advertisement
NowPublic on Facebook
What is NowPublic?
NowPublic lets people work together to cover news events around the world.
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 04:07 on December 28th, 2010
Wars came before. Wars go by. Wars continue.