Antietam and Gettysburg While Most of the Term Paper

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Antietam and Gettysburg

While most of the battles of the American Civil War took place on Southern territory, there were two major battles which took place in the North: Antietam and Gettysburg. In both cases, the Union forces were fighting off a Confederate invasion aimed at forcing the North to accept Southern secession. In both instances, the North was victorious, and these victories had a significant impact in the outcome of the war.

The Battle of Antietam took place near the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland on September 17, 1862. Southern forces, under the command of General Robert E. Lee, had invaded the North in hopes of capturing the capitol Washington D.C.. However, an Union army under the command of General George McClellan intercepted Lee's army and fought it to a standstill. Outnumbered two to one, Lee retreated back into Virginia, however, the meek McClellan did not pursue and Lee's army escaped to fight another day.

Despite the fact that the battle was a tactical draw, President Abraham Lincoln was able to claim victory, Lee's Army had been defeated and forced back into Virginia.

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It was a victory for the North at a time when such victories were scarce, and McClellan's army had been on a losing streak. It also made it clear that in 1862, while the North may not be strong enough to win the war, it was not so weak as to lose either. The war was going to be a very long and costly one.

Finally, the battle of Antietam gave President Lincoln the political cover to issue his Emancipation Proclamation, transforming the war between the states into a war against slavery. Lincoln's proclamation also ended any possibility of foreign support or intervention on the side of the South by either Britain or France. Once Lincoln transformed the war into a crusade against slavery, the Europeans, no matter how much they may have wanted to trade with the South, could not be seen openly siding with a slave holding country.

For the next year the war raged on with neither side making….....

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