This information is taken from a lecture by Pete Coffman given at Wayne Community College September 18th, the latest in a series of lectures on key Civil War battles sponsored by the Foundation of Wayne Community College and the North Carolina Military History Roundtable.
Two more lectures remain in the series, one on the Battle of Goldsborough (Goldsboro) Bridge and one on the Battle of Fredericksburg.
The Battle of Antietam, or Battle of Sharpsburg as it was called in the Confederacy, was a pivotal moment in the war, even though it is usually considered to have ended in a draw. President Lincoln counted it as a victory and used it to issue his Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves in the Confederate states (but not border states) and making the war a slavery issue.
Lee chose to invade Maryland to put pressure on Washington, D.C. and hopefully convince England and France to recognize the Confederacy (sort of a Battle of Saratoga during the American Revolution). he also hoped Confederate sympathizers in Maryland would flock to the colors. The Army of Northern Virginia was under strict orders not to plunder any farms in the state to show that the Southern cause was just.
They Didn't, However. --Old Secesh
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