Why the battle of Antietam?
I’ve long been convinced, ever since I started trying to put together the multiple layers of Civil War history — the military, the political, the social, the diplomatic — that Antietam was a turning point on all those levels. No other single battle in the war had such multiple consequences. And yet Antietam is less well-known than, say, Gettysburg, or the combination of Gettysburg and the surrender of Vicksburg, which happened at virtually the same time, as a crucial battle of the war. I thought it would be a good idea to enlighten readers on the importance of this battle.
