The Battle of Antietam

    The Battle of Antietam, also known as Sharpsburg, had three battles that took place each day within the Battle of Antietam. The first of those three battles was the bloodiest day in Civil War History. It had 22,000 combined casualties (people being kidnapped, killed, wounded, running away, etc). The original strategy for the Confederates was to stay behind, and defend. But, General Robert E. Lee thought otherwise and advanced into Maryland. Following the departure of Confederate troops, General George McClellan arrived to where the Confederates originally were, and found something extremely helpful- the battle plan. Wrapped up in cigarettes was the Confederate’s battle plan, showing the Confederate’s every move. It was not left on purpose to trick the Union, it just didn’t catch on fire and burn completely like the Confederates thought it would. Besides the fact that McClellan had the Confederate’s every strategy, he also had many more troops that Robert E. Lee had. Not to mention that when fighting, the Potomac River would be behind the Confederates, therefore making it easy for the Union soldiers to back them into the river and win the battle. Another factor that sealed the Union’s fate of winning was that European powers had no intention of helping the south, which is a horrible loss for the Confederates because if the Europeans did help, the southern soldiers wouldn’t have to worry about food, or other necessities. Also, the Confederates were on Union turf, so it would be easier for the North to win. The Union basically had all of the test answers for a very hard exam, and was sure to get a 100. Despite all assumptions that the Union would win by a landslide, the war was actually inconclusive. However, the Union and Abraham Lincoln considered it a Victory. 


    Alexander Gardner was a famous Civil War photographer from Scotland. He emigrated to the United States in 1856 (after numerous trips previously to this country), and decided he wanted to be a photographer. He then worked with his inspiration, Mathew Brady. He learned many tricks of the trade, and soon was quite popular because of the demand for self portraits of soldiers. Seeing that they were going to fight in the Civil War, the possibility of the soldiers not returning was high, and family members wanted a last picture of them just in case. Gardner witnessed Civil War battles, and decided that he wanted to document all of them, creating the profession he is now known for. 

  

                                                             *Alexander Gardner* 
*Battle of Antietam Photograph by Alexander Gardner*










http://inthepastlane.com/2012/09/16/the-battle-of-antietam-photography-and-the-visualization-of-modern-war-this-week-sept-16-2012/

http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/alexander-gardner.html