Antietam is the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War with 3,550 killed and 17,300 wounded. The battle occurred in Sharpsburg, Maryland a quiet farming community of 1,200 residents on September 17, 1862. For the people of Sharpsburg, the battle and presence of thousands of soldiers caused sickness and death from disease, and great property damage. Antietam made feasible the Emancipation Proclamation and reshaped the logistics of field medicine.
Today most of the battlefield is very much like is was at the time of the battle. Farm fields planted with crops and wooded areas. They have added monuments to honor the different regiments that were involved and created a national cemetery.
