Below is a description of the aftermath of the civil war battle of antietam.
Aftermath - Civil War Battle of Antietam
The Battle of Antietam was over by 5:30 p.m. Losses for the day were heavy on both sides. The Union had 12,410 casualties from the Battle of Antietam with about 2,100 dead. Confederate casualties from the Battle of Antietam were 10,700 with about 2,700 dead. On the evening of September 18, after a truce for both sides to recover their wounded, Lee's forces began withdrawing across the Potomac to return to Virginia.
Although a tactical draw, the Battle of Antietam is considered a strategic Union victory and a turning point of the war because it forced the end of Lee's invasion of the North and it allowed President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, taking effect on January 1, 1863. Although Lincoln had intended to do so earlier, he was advised by his Cabinet to make this announcement after a Union victory to avoid the perception that it was issued out of desperation. The winning of the Battle of Antietam also may have dissuaded the governments of France and Great Britain from recognizing the Confederacy; some suspected they were planning to do so in the aftermath of another Union defeat.
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