Antietam 1862: Gateway to Emancipation

by T. Stephen Whitman

Overview

This book explains how the Battle of Antietam—a conflict that changed nothing militarily—still played a pivotal role in the Civil War by affording Abraham Lincoln an opportunity to announce the emancipation of slaves in states in rebellion.

Antietam 1862: Gateway to Emancipation examines the connections between the Maryland Campaign culminating in the battle of Antietam in 1862 and the drive to emancipate slaves to win the war for the Union. The work's thematic chapters discuss how slaves' resistance to the Confederacy and flight to Union armies influenced Union domestic and diplomatic politics, Confederate military strategy, and above all, the leadership of President Lincoln.

By focusing on the complex topics of antislavery politics, diplomacy, and slaves' resistance rather than the specific occurrences on the battlefield, this book shows how shrewd Abraham Lincoln was in assessing the consequences of fighting a civil war about slavery. The concept that slaves' resistance played a part in Lee and Davis's decision to cross the Potomac and invade Maryland is explored, as is the idea that this strategy delayed and ultimately dashed all of the Confederacy's hopes of help from the British.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313397332
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/19/2012
Series:	Battles and Leaders of the American Civil War
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

T. Stephen Whitman, PhD, writes about slavery and emancipation in 18th- and 19th-century America.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword vii

Preface ix

Acknowledgments xi

Maps and Map References xiii

1 Lincoln, War, and Emancipation: From Fort Sumter to the Peninsular Campaign 1

2 McClellan on the Peninsula 27

3 Waiting for the Moment: Lincoln and Emancipation in the Summer of 1862 49

4 Europe Ponders Confederate Recognition 63

5 Lee Crosses the Potomac: The Maryland Campaign Begins 83

6 McClellan and Lee at Antietam: September 15 to 21 97

7 Lincoln Emancipates and Voters React 111

8 Europe Reacts to Antietam and Emancipation 127

9 From Antietam to Gettysburg: Lincoln Defends Emancipation 139

Conclusions 153

Notes 157

Bibliographical Essay 173

Index 181

What People are Saying About This

James Marten

"By turns detailed and sweeping, Antietam 1862 transcends the typical campaign history to become nothing less than a critical survey of the entire war, centered on the battle that most historians consider the true 'high water mark' of the Confederacy. T. Stephen Whitman not only captures the drama of Antietam's role as the bloodiest single day in the history of American warfare, but also explains the strategic, political, and moral contexts of the battle, particularly Abraham Lincoln's evolving attitudes toward slavery."

William Blair

"This is a story primarily about how emancipation came, and how the war embraced a new birth of freedom as a goal. Like more recent studies, this book argues for considering Antietam as a more pivotal turning point in the war than even Gettysburg because of its centrality to this event. But the focus here is on much more than the battle. The work is indicative of the recent trend that situates battles within their broader political, social, and military contexts. Whitman offers a balanced synthesis of scholarship within an accessible narrative, from which a general audience can gain a greater appreciation for the various factors and agents that helped change the meaning of freedom in this country."

Adam Goodheart

"In Whitman's expert telling, Antietam becomes far more than just a clash of armies: it stands as the central moment in an unfolding drama of slavery and freedom."