The Battle of Antietam took place on September 17, 1862, in Sharpsburg, Maryland, while George McClellan was the Union commander and Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Northern Army. Virginia. The Battle of Antietam was one of the bloodiest battles ever recorded during the Civil War, with the loss of more than 23,000 soldiers in total. The main reason the battle took place was because Robert E Lee wanted to invade the north because he wanted to prove to the Europeans that the Confederacy had the political and economic power to eliminate the Union. As for Abraham Lincoln, he did not want Europe to go to war, so the Battle of Antietam was initially about the Emancipation Proclamation to stop and help end the war against slavery. The Battle of Antietam is an important piece of history that not only enabled the Emancipation Proclamation for the freeing of slaves, but it also brought a huge victory to Abraham Lincoln. The Battle of Antietam was important to the United States for many reasons. One of the reasons the battle was so important was that Abraham Lincoln was running for re-election to the presidency in 1864. Lincoln knew at the time that if he went into battle, he certainly would not lose his seat for president, but he was also afraid of what the outcome might bring him. Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State, William Seward, had suggested at the cabinet meeting that was held that Abraham should wait for a Union victory in the battle. The reason Seward suggested this plan was to make Abraham Lincoln not look so desperate for victory so he could issue his Emancipation Proclamation Act. A second reason why the battle was so important...... middle of paper ......te to win the battle. The idea that this seemed too desperate came from William Seward, the Secretary of State. Although Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, it was the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that enacted the law banning slavery in all states; so it is the Thirteenth Amendment that should be responsible for freedom from slavery. In conclusion, throughout the Battle of Antietam you will notice how important it was to the Civil War and even to our country. It gave us a lot of relief from the rebellion of the Southern states, it gave African Americans the freedom they had always hoped for with the Emancipation Proclamation and it had a huge impact on the Civil War because it was the first battle to end. ever fought on Northern soil, and it became known as the bloodiest battle ever fought in American history..