Final answer:
The Battle of Antietam was fought on September 17, 1862, and led by Major General George B. McClellan for the Union and General Robert E. Lee for the Confederacy. It was the bloodiest single day in American history and ended in a draw.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, along Antietam Creek, was a pivotal conflict in the American Civil War.
The Union was led by Major General George B. McClellan and the Confederates by General Robert E. Lee.
The battle is recognized as the bloodiest single day in American history, with over 20,000 soldiers killed, wounded, or missing.
Lee's army, despite being outnumbered, took a defensive position and engaged aggressively with McClellan's larger Union forces.
The intense fighting, especially around the Cornfield and the left flank held by Stonewall Jackson, saw both sides suffer significant casualties.
While technically the battle ended in a draw, with Lee's withdrawal, it gave President Abraham Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, significantly shifting the war's focus to the issue of slavery.