The Antietam National Battlefield is a 3,230-acre Park that was established on August
30, 1890 to preserve the battlefield site and honor those who fought here. This Battlefield was listed on
the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966.
On September 17, 1862, the Battle of Antietam (aka Battle of
Sharpsburg) was the first battle of the Civil War to be fought on Union ground.
The 12 hours of fierce fighting resulted in more than 23,000 casualties
(killed, wounded, or missing) making it one of
the bloodiest single-day battles in the history of this nation.
So,
why is this battle known by two different names?
