Battle of Shepherdstown-- Part 3: The Aftermath and Proclamation

AFTERMATH

The total Union dead and wounded at the Battle of Shepherdstown makes it the bloodiest battle fought in what would become the state of West Virginia.

The battle convinced both commanders that the Maryland Campaign was over.  George McClelland decided that an active pursuit of the enemy was not possible at this time and established a defensive line along the Maryland side of the Potomac River. 

And, for the Confederates, Robert E. Lee chose to abort his army's movement back into Maryland.

With the Confederates  driven from Northern soil, President Abraham Lincoln used the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation  on September 22, 1862.

BATTLEFIED PRESERVATION

As of December 2021, the American Battlefield Trust  and its partners have acquired and preserved 621 acres of the battlefield in more than ten acquisitions since 2004.

--Old Secesh