The History Network

The Battle of Antietam Creek as it was known to the Union, or the Battle of Sharpsburg as it was known to the Confederate States, was fought on the 17th of September 1862 and became the most costly one-day battle of the American Civil War. The battle claimed nearly 23,000 casualties including 6 generals, and in a protracted 4 year civil war would go on to cost over 600,000 lives. While the official death toll for the battle stands at nearly 4,000, in actual fact, the true death toll is closer to 9,000 as many men who were marked down as wounded on the field of battle would later die in hospitals, some even months after the battle. Dur: 25mins File: .mp3