Atlas of Battles

battle, landmark, nineteenth century

Battle of Antietam

Battle of Antietam was a battle fought on 17 September 1862 at Washington County, in what is now Maryland, United States. It was part of the Maryland in the American Civil War, which ran from 1861 to 1865. The recorded result: Union victory (see aftermath). Recorded strength: 53,632 engaged; 275 artillery pieces against 30,646 engaged; 194 artillery pieces.

See it on the globe Read the article

"Battle of Antietam" by Kurz & Allison. Smaller text reads: Army of the Potomac: Gen. Geo. B. McClellan, Comm., Sept. 17' 1862. 1'2'4'6'9'12'Corps & Pleasanton's Cav. Div. Engaged. // Copyrigh
"Battle of Antietam" by Kurz & Allison. Smaller text reads: Army of the Potomac: Gen. Geo. B. McClellan, Comm., Sept. 17' 1862. 1'2'4'6'9'12'Corps & Pleasanton's Cav. Div. Engaged. // Copyrigh. Kurz and Allison / Adam Cuerden, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought17 September 1862
WhereWashington County, Maryland, United States39.473N, 77.745W
OutcomeUnion victory (see aftermath)
BelligerentsUnited States (Union)againstConfederate States
Battlefield todayAntietam battlefieldNPS site MD003, 34,937 acres studied, 6,954 core
Part ofMaryland in the American Civil War1861 to 1865

Where it sits in the Maryland in the American Civil War

Battle of South Mountain, 1862Battle of Antietam, 1862Battle of Monocacy, 186418621864Battle of Antietam, 1862
3 placed engagements of the Maryland in the American Civil War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date17 September 1862
PlaceWashington County, Maryland, United States
39.473N, 77.745W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength53,632 engaged; 275 artillery pieces30,646 engaged; 194 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses12,410; 2,108 killed; 9,549 wounded; 753 captured or missing10,316; 1,546 killed; 7,752 wounded; 1,018 captured or missing
Commanders
Battle of AntietamBattle of AntietamBattle of ShepherdstownBattle of BoonsboroBattle of South MountainBattle of Crampton's GapBattle of FunkstownBattle of ShepherdstownBattle of Crampton's GapBattle of FunkstownWinchesterHagerstown50 km39.473N, 77.745W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. The dashed outline is the battlefield study area mapped by the NPS American Battlefield Protection Program. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Battle of Antietam
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Battle of Antietam today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-04-13. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 151 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 86 to 328 m, 242 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 38% tree cover, 31% grassland, 28% cropland.

tree cover: 38%grassland: 31%cropland: 28%tree cover 38%grassland 31%cropland 28%
west to east, 10.0 km90 to 172 mnorth to south, 10.0 km125 to 160 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1862

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: US ARMY OF THE POTOMACDefender: CS ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA
Strength90,00046,000
Casualties12,410 (13.8%)13,700 (29.8%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1057
Outcomedefender won
Duration1 day
Front width6.4 km4 km
Attacker advanced1 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 191), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

The National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program maps this as the Antietam battlefield (site MD003): a study area of 34,937 acres, with a core area of 6,954 acres where the fighting was concentrated; 33,534 acres retain enough integrity to be potentially eligible for the National Register.

Battle of Antietam is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (19 in Maryland).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q719252, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Antietam, revision 1383110921, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Battlefield boundary and area from the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program (public domain). Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.