Burnside’s Bridge is a landmark in Maryland that played an important role in the Battle of Antietam during the American Civil War. In this battle, around 500 Confederate soldiers from Georgia held off repeated attacks from the Union Army for several hours.
In the third attempt by the Union Army to take over the bridge, Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan of the Union Army launched an attack against Confederate general Robert E. Lee. The battle was one of the deadliest in the Civil War, and in American history. By 5:30 on September 18, a truce was called and both sides gathered their wounded. Although the Union had had more casualties (12,410 vs. 10,316), the percentage was higher for the Confederate side (25% vs. 31%). The crippling casualties forced the Confederates to retreat across the Potomac and return to Virginia. It resulted in a strategic victory for the Union, although McClellan's overly cautious strategy was heavily criticized.