the battle of antietam was the first major battle of the civil war to be fought on union soil.
the battle of antietam was the first major battle of the civil war to be fought on union soil.
what was the first major battle of the civil war to be fought on union soil?
the battle of antietam
the battle of antietam , also known as the battle of sharpsburg, particularly in the southern united states, was a battle of the american civil war, fought on september 17, 1862, between confederate general robert e. lee's army of northern virginia and union general george b. mcclellan's army of the potomac, near sharpsburg, maryland and antietam creek. part of the maryland campaign, it was the first field army–level engagement in the eastern theater of the american civil war to take place on union soil. it was the bloodiest day in united states history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing.
battle of antietam
on the morning of 21 july 1861, the union army under the command of brig. gen. irvin mcdowell, in an effort to cripple the newly assembled confederate army at manassas, virginia, fired the opening shots of the first major battle of the civil war. both armies were largely made up of volunteer militia with regiments of both sides wearing blue and gray uniforms. the brunt of the union attack fell on the confederate left flank. confederate brig. gen barnard bee, having recently resigned from the u. s. army and still wearing his blue uniform, realized that the army's left flank was seriously exposed. gen. bee ordered the fourth alabama regiment (of the alabama brigade) to advance rapidly in order to plug the gap in the confederate line. for over an hour, the fourth alabama held position and repulsed several union regiments. the gallant stand of the fourth alabama stalled the union advance and gave the confederate forces more time to regroup. the regiment played a prominent part in the fighting all day and contributed to the confederate victory. the battle of first manassas proved to both sides that the civil war would be a bitterly contested struggle. the fourth alabama went on to fight in every major battle in the eastern theater of the civil war and never surrendered its colors. the heritage and traditions of the fourth alabama are carried on by the 1st battalion, 167th infantry, alabama army national guard.
alabama army national guard