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SUPPLEMENTAL READING ACTIVITY
Jenny Perez
Class:
grade 8 American Studies 1
Subject:
The Maryland Campaign, Frederick, & Antietam
Unit:
Unit 7 - Civil War
Title of Article:
“The Significance of the Battle of Antietam”
Author:
Brian R. Downey
Source:
Antietam on the Web site is copyright ©1997, 1998
Type of Reading:
To be informed
Unit Goals:
 Students will be able to Evaluate how the following key events and turning points impacted the
outcome of the Civil War: Fort Sumter, Battles of Shiloh, Bull Run, Gettysburg, Antietam,
Vicksburg, Sherman’s March, Appomatox Court House, 13th Amendment, Lincoln’s assassination
(SS.AS1. 70.04, CS 4.1.8.3)
Lesson Objectives/Indicators:
1. Students will be able to find, evaluate and organize information by reading, asking questions,
investigating and observing (SS.AS1.60.21, CS 1.1.8.2)
2. Students will be able to analyze key events and turning points of the Civil War and compare
and contrast the goals, resources, and strategies of the North and South, including the
geographical advantages and obstacles, technological advances, and military leadership
(SS.AS1.60.18, CS 2.9.8.1)
3. Students will be able to explain interrelationships among physical and human characteristics
that shape the identity of places (SS.AS1.70.04, CS 4.1.8.3)
4. Students will be able to analyze the events of the Maryland campaign using the battle of
Antietam in order to under to understand the significance of Frederick during the Civil War.
5. Students will be able to analyze the purpose, significance, and meaning of the Emancipation
Proclamation (SS.AS1.70.03, CS 2.9.8.3)
6. Students will be able to Analyze the influence of the media on political life in the United States
including recognizing bias in reporting, analyzing, and editorializing (SS.AS!.70.05, CS
6.7.8.1)
Critical Question:
 Why would you consider the Maryland Campaign/Antietam (Sharpsburg) a turning point of the
war?
Materials Needed:



“Civil War Crossroads” article
“Analysis: The Significance of the Battle of Antietam” Internet article
Bruce Catton’s quote from American Heritage
Before Reading:
Motivation: Teacher will read Bruce Catton’s quote from American Heritage
What America is and hopes to be dates from the fight
along Antietam Creek. The fight cost an enormous
number of lives, and inflicted pain and disability on
many thousands more; but in the infinite economy of
the advance of the human race it may have been
worth what it cost."
-
Bruce Catton,
in American Heritage, August 1958
 There will be a class discussion that centers around the question; why do you think The Battle
of Antietam or Sharpsburg was a turning point in the Civil War?
Survey Text:
Paired Reading
1. Students will independently scan the article, “Civil War Crossroads”, marking
the sections of the article that discuss impacts on the outcome of the Civil War.
Activation of Prior Knowledge/Link to Background Knowledge:
Oral Discussion:
1. The students will be asked the following questions:
How many of you had heard of the battle of Antietam before today?
How many of you know where this battlefield is located?
How many of you have ever visited this battlefield?
Major Concepts/Vocabulary:
Sectionalism
devotion to local interests and concerns over those of the larger group. An
example of this occurred during the mid-1800’s when the South, concerned with
preserving their way of life, withdrew from the United States.
Geographic Characteristics things that distinguish one place from another.
During the Reading:
Students will read “Analysis: The Significance of the Battle of Antietam” in groups of three. Each
group will write a summary sentence, highlighting important information for each section.
After the Reading:
Students will be paired heterogeneously in order to write a news paper article about The Battle of
Antietam. Be sure to include the idea that the battle was a turning point for the war. Use “Civil
War Crossroads”, and “Analysis: The Significance of the Battle of Antietam” when writing your
article. ACE your answer.
Analysis: The Significance of the Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg (fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland) on
Wednesday, September 17, 1862 put an end to General Robert E. Lee's first serious attempt
to bring the American Civil War to the North, gave President Abraham Lincoln the victory he
needed to issue the crucial Emancipation Proclamation, and probably doomed the
Confederacy's hopes for European recognition and support.
More men were killed or wounded on that day than on any other single day of the Civil
War: some 12,400 Federal and 10,300 Confederate troops were casualties in about twelve
hours of ferocious combat. The battle ended in a tactical draw because, while Union
commander George McClellan failed to drive the Confederate forces from the field, neither
did General Lee's army thereafter have the strength to continue the invasion.
Immediate Results of the Battle
The most obvious result of the battle was the incredible loss of life. No other single day
of American history before or since has been so deadly. Nearly one of every four soldiers
engaged was a casualty: killed, wounded, or captured. The savage fighting would be
remembered by many who were there as the most intense of the war. If there were any
among the troops who still thought of war as a glorious, noble undertaking, this battle would
shatter that illusion. For the men of both armies, the American Civil War was now an all-out,
life or death struggle.
For the North, the battle near Antietam Creek "saved" the nation. The Confederate
invasion was turned away, so the immediate threat was past. In the process, the Federal
Army of the Potomac (AOP) had shown itself to be a fine fighting force, even if not well led. It
had not been demoralized as was feared after the Second Battle of Bull Run, and had in
many instances at Antietam proved in bravery and skill to be the equal of any army,
anywhere. Even their commander, M.Gen George McClellan , had not fully appreciated their
capabilities. Although the battle was not a clear victory for either side, the forces of the Union
had much to feel good about.
Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) had also fought extremely well,
particularly considering its weakened state and small numbers. Many consider that Lee's
leadership at the battle was the best of his career; he himself indicated as much after the war.
While he could rightly claim a "moral" victory because he still held his position the day after
the battle, he did not achieve his larger goal of seriously hurting the Federal Army, and the
Maryland Campaign did little to advance the cause of Southern Independence after all.
Another short-term effect of the battle was the final end to President Lincoln's patience
with his top General. Because McClellan could not seem to pursue the ANV for some six
weeks after the battle, even when prompted repeatedly, Lincoln "fired" him. McClellan then
retired to his home in New Jersey to wait for the call to command again, which never came.
Lincoln appointed Ambrose Burnside to relieve McClellan in command of the AOP, but
Burnside was just the next of the several failures in that position. Not until U. S. Grant would
the Army get the leader it needed. McClellan had been a brilliant organizer: he had built the
AOP into a superb force, and his troops adored him, but he didn't have the killer instinct or
drive needed to win the war for the Union.
Public and Political Impact
For observers in England and France, the Confederate failure in Maryland meant there
would be no quick end to the War, and also meant that the Confederacy would have to get
along without any help from their governments. While perhaps only a temporary setback for
the Confederates, the battle in fact killed the last hope for foreign intervention on behalf of the
rebels. Once Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, no civilized nation would
side against the "defenders of freedom".
The battle had political ramifications in the North as well. Because Lincoln could claim
a victory, and it looked as though the fortunes of war might be turning in favor of the Union,
the Fall elections of 1862 went rather better for Lincoln's Republican Party (and "War"
Democrats) than might have been another case. Lincoln later credited the battle with saving a
number of northern and western governor's and legislative seats that otherwise would have
gone to "Peace" Democrats, who were opponents of Lincoln's war policy and advocates of a
negotiated peace with the South.
The ordinary citizens in the North also felt the impact of the battle in a way not known
before in America. A display of Alexander Gardner's Antietam Photographs in New York, and
their further publication in newspapers, vividly brought home to them the dreadful carnage of
the battle. Like the soldiers who fought, the people who saw these images lost any grand
notions of the glory of war, and perhaps better understood something of the reality. The
photographs and stories about the fierce combat at Sharpsburg helped many people to begin
to understand the effort and sacrifice it was going to take to win the war.
Union and Freedom
As an extension of the change in the public perception of war, the overall strategy of
the North began to evolve toward the concept of "total war". While this process was not
complete after Antietam, the trend was clear: most people would eventually recognize that
the Union could only be restored following the complete destruction of the South's ability to
wage war and survive independently. It would no longer be possible to go back to the way
things were, or peacefully co-exist with a separate South.
Lastly, but most importantly, the small victory that Lincoln could claim for the battle of
Antietam was enough for him to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. While its impact
seemed small at first, the enormity of its scope soon became apparent.
The Emancipation Proclamation substantially altered the character of the war from
Restoration of the Union alone, to freedom for all. As Catton said,
"It finally determined that the Civil War was not
merely a war for reunion but also a war to end
human slavery; turned it from a family scrap into an
incalculable struggle for human freedom ..."
This is the legacy of Sharpsburg.
Information provided by: The Antietam on the Web site is copyright ©1997, 1998 by Brian R.
Downey, and this page of it was last updated on 3/2/99