The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War. The battle started on September 17 1862 in Maryland and was fought over Antietam Creek in proximity to the town of Sharpsburg. This is also why it is referred to as the Battle of Sharpsburg. It started when General Robert Lee invaded the North. He attempted to breach into Washington D.C. when he was confronted by an Union army led by General George B. McClellan. Eventually, after the battle General George prevailed and won for the North. The estimates  for the casualties are 13,724 for the Confederacy/South and 12,410 for the Union/North.

The Emancipation Proclamation was a very important document for the Civil War and here is why. After the Battle of Antietam on September 17 1862 5 days after the battle he declared his determination to write the proclamation. On January 1 1863 the proclamation was issued. The proclamation stated that all slaves in the U.S. even in the South were free. This steered the fight more towards the issue of slavery and came with another upside for the North. It made black men able to join the army  Almost 180,000 men joined the U.S. forces and were very useful to bring the final surrender of the Civil War.