African Americans and the War
The Push towards Emancipation
What does Emancipation mean?
· Freeing the slaves
\
The Bloodiest Day: The Battle of Antietam 1863
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
· 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. 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.
· For the South Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) had also fought extremely well, but 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.
· Lincoln "fired" McClellan and appointed Ambrose Burnside to relieve McClellan in command of the AOP, but
Public and Political Impact
· Confederate failure in Maryland meant there would be No quick end to the War
· No foreign support
· Once Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation, no civilized nation would side against the "defenders of freedom".
· Lincoln could claim a victory, and it looked as though the fortunes of war might be turning in favor of the Union for the Fall elections of 1862
· 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..
Impacts of Antietam
Emancipation at Last
The Emancipation Proclamation January 1, 1863
Do you think Lincoln was right to wait so long before declaring emancipation?
Who is not set free by this proclamation?
What do you think was the most important effect of the proclamation?
African Americans Join the Fight
The 54th Massachusetts Regiment
The First all black regiment allowed
to fight in the Civil War
How did African Americans respond to Union recruitment efforts after the Emancipation Proclamation?