Dave Koch, Assistant Professor of History at Housatonic Community College, retruns to present Antietam- A Bloody Mix of Politics and War.
The battle of Antietam, the Battle of Sharpsburg as called in the South, is well known as the bloodiest day in US History. But the battle itself has little meaning, unless taken in the context of the political goals both sides were trying to reach when they fought it. It was the Confederacy’s best chance for foreign recognition of their fledgling country; it was the Lincoln administration’s chance to use a military victory to issue an Emancipation Proclamation, changing the course of the Civil War permanently. And it was the last chance for George B. McClellan to fight the war in a limited way, with professional armies. This talk will center on the campaign that changed the war for both sides, though in different ways. It will discuss the battle itself, the many missed chances for both sides, and the incredible aftermath of the fighting, which may well have destroyed the Confederacy’s chance at ultimate victory as early as September, 1862. Registration required at reference@ewml.org
