How did the battle of Antietam change the course of the civil war?
Antietam revealed the limitations of both the Union and Confederate Armies. By failing to invade Maryland, Robert E Lee revealed the weaknesses in his command structure and in his Army, and by their failure to win a major victory, the Confederacy was denied the support of European Nations. Antietam revealed many weaknesses in the Union command as well and provided dramatic bloody evidence that modern rifles and cannons rendered the tactics of the Napoleonic Era obsolete. Most of all the stalemate at Antietam made it clear that there would be no quick & easy end to the conflict and that both sides had best plan for a lenghtly war. http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/antie… “”Carnage At Antietam, 1862 General Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of the North was a huge gamble that held the potential of very great rewards. Lee’s campaign could win Maryland for the Confederacy, earn diplomatic recognition from Britain and
