Abstract The paper discusses how the battle at Antietam ended the first attempt by the South at invading the North, with the army under the leadership of General Robert E. Lee. The paper explains that the battle was inconclusive because while Lee withdrew, the Northern army under McClellan did not follow and so did not destroy the Southern army at this time. The paper shows, however, how the battle did set the stage for the Emancipation Proclamation, making slavery a more explicit subject for the rest of the war. The paper relates that this was something President Lincoln had not wanted to do in this manner, but which he embraced once it was possible.
From the Paper "At the time, General Lee was buoyed by his success at Bull Run but also uncertain about what to do next. He could not go after Pope's army because the later withdrew to Washington and was protected by a fort and by reinforcements. Analysts say he could have fallen back to the fortifications at Centreville, but he did not want to do this because the provisions and forage in that area had all been used up the year before. Lee had other choices he could have made, such as moving west or south, but he also faced the desire to deny the North the time to recover from recent defeats. A move to the west appealed most to Lee, and he was especially interested in an invasion of Maryland, with reasons that were military, political, and psychological."
