The Cornfield And The Battle Of Antietam

Early in the morning on September 17th, 1862, shots rang out from the cornfields outside of the small town of Sharpsburg, Maryland. By the time the sun set that evening, 23,000 dead and wounded soldiers from Union and Confederate troops lay on the bloodied fields. Because of this, the Battle of Antietam (also known as the Cornfield and the Battle of Sharpsburg) will go down as the “Bloodiest Day in American History.” No other single day, not even 9/11, will match the pure carnage of this day. Antietam was a crucial battle, not only for the Union army, but also for the Confederates. The Union army, led by General George McClellan, was looking for their first win in order to bring hope for peace and reuniting the states. The Confederate
While the soldiers knew that there would be a battle, no one was prepared for the harsh reality of what would come that fateful day. This battle was fought in three parts, each part beginning after the previous one ended. The first part occurred at the north end of the battlefield in a cornfield just north of Sharpsburg. A first glimpse of the day’s carnage was seen here as regiment after regiment was blown apart, resulting in over 10,000 casualties in this part of the battle alone. When this stage ended in a stalemate, General McClellan launched the next stage, an attempt to take a piece of land known as the Sunken Lane. This piece of land, originally a farm road worn down by wagons over the years, became a river of blood with the amount of soldiers killed in it. As Union soldiers approached this vital road, they were shocked to find out that Confederate soldiers were waiting below in the road for them. Line after line of Union soldiers will be shot down until they are able to break through the line and kill any Confederate soldiers remaining in the lane. In total, this part of the battle saw 5,500 casualties, giving the road the name of Bloody Lane due to