The battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862. The Army of the Potomac led by McClellan fought against the Army of Northern Virginia led by Lee. The battle was fought along the Antietam Creek in Sharpsburg, Maryland. It was a very bloody battle. The Union casualties were around 12,000, the Confederate casualties at around 10,000. In the end, Lee was forced to retreat. His intent was to cause a blow to the Union's morale with a victory …showed first 75 words of 526 total…

…showed last 75 words of 526 total…the European powers shied away from the war. It also created over 100,000 new troops in the Union Army. The Emancipation Proclamation was a great act that played a great part in the Civil War. All in all, not only is Antietam a major turning point in the Civil War, it may be the most important, and the Civil War would certainly be quite different had the battle of Antietam occurred differently or not at all.