[bill1952]

To be fair, he was also struggling under the burden of Pinkerton's analysis, and he must be judged with that in regard.

In the day, Pinkerton was considered a gold standard, at least in the beginning.

It was also his politics, or lack of political savvy that doomed him.

Think what would have happened if Pope or Burnside had commanded the Army of the Potomac at that time.

They might have established the Confederacy right then and there.

Antietam allowed the Emancipation Proclamation to be issued, and that is what ultimately allowed the war to be won.

[mainepatsfan]

He had the same problems with overestimating Confederate strength during the Peninsula campaign.

[Christopher Lincoln]

Antietam allowed the Emancipation Proclamation to be issued, and that is what ultimately allowed the war to be won.

Antietam was indeed a paradoxical battle. Militarily, it was a draw, or actually a little less than a draw for the Union. But in its consequences (which incidentally appalled McClellan) it was the decisive battle of the war, and a turning point in modern history.