Why it was Important for the Union to Win
The Battle of Antietam had a large significance to both of the sides fighting. The Union and the Confederacy both had a logic and reason as to why they desired a military triumph. For the North there were three main goals;they wanted to issue the Emancipation Proclamation which would free all confederate slaves, to keep the Confederates from getting European Support, and lastly just to win one battle that they had failed to do before this point.
Emancipation ProclamationAbraham Lincoln was the commander-in-chief of the US Army which gave him the authority to make decisions that benefit the Union and keep things under control. He wanted to issue the Emancipation Proclamation which would free all slaves in the Confederate or enemy territory. He described the slaves as "entitled to the same legal rights as white people"which was an odd idea of that time period. (^5) He knew that issuing this would most likely cause issues. Some issues included prolonging the war. However Lincoln was willing to take that risk. He presented it to his board and they said that he should wait for a victory in order for it to not seem like a desperate call for help and a last resort for the Union army. (^6) At that moment, the next battle, which happened to be the Battle of Antietam, became a lot more valuable because of the rewards it could possibly endure.
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European SupportThe Union army also had another valuable reason that they wanted to win this war. The European powers of the time- France and Britain- were watching the Confederate army and were considering giving them their support as long as they prove to be the powerhouse that they had appeared to be in the first couple of battles. (^7) That proof would include winning a battle on northern soil. The North wanted to win because if any side got the support it would give them a huge advantage with surplus troops, supplies, and money.(^8) The North needed to prevent this from happening in order for it to remain more of an equal playing field. The one way of doing that was to beat the Confederacy in the Battle of Antietam and they did just that.
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Wanted a VictoryThe Union army was very much behind in the war as far as victories go. The Confederates had won many of the battles. Even before issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, the secretary of state said that they needed a win to not look desperate(^9). The Union started to lack confidence in their chances and the Northerners were beginning to doubt the reasons they were fighting. The Union desperately wanted to win the war, and until this battle their chances were beginning to appear slim . This potential victory would prove to everyone that the Union was still very much in the Civil War and still had a chance of coming out on top.
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