The Ambush at Antietam, also known as the Battle of Antietam, occurred on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, during the American Civil War. It was the single bloodiest day in American military history, with nearly 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing. The battle unfolded when Union forces under General George McClellan attacked Confederate troops led by General Robert E. Lee, who were positioned along Antietam Creek. Despite having superior numbers, McClellan’s assaults resulted in massive casualties and failed to decisively defeat Lee’s army. The battle ended inconclusively, but it halted Lee’s invasion of the North and gave President Lincoln the impetus to announce the Emancipation Proclamation.
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