The Battle of Antietam, 1862. The Emancipation Proclamation. McLellan's Disasters.

The Confederate army’s failure to secure a decisive triumph on Northern soil shattered their hopes of winning foreign aid—assistance that was crucial to sustaining their war effort. This Union strategic success handed President Lincoln the perfect moment to unleash the Emancipation Proclamation, forever altering the course of the conflict. Antietam. September 17, 1862. Confederate Forces: 45,000 Soldiers. Union Forces: 75,000 Soldiers. Additional Reading and Research: Luuvas, Jay. The U.S. ...