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How Did the Battle of South Mountain Alter the Course of the American Civil War

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[[File:Maryland_Campaign.png|thumbnail|300px|Map of The Maryland Campaign.]]
When discussing the Civil War in Maryland, one immediately considers While the Battle of Antietam. What one must not overlook; howeverwas the most important conflict that took place in Maryland, is that it critical to avoid overlooking the battle that caused forced the Union and Confederate forces to meet at Antietam Creek was fought on September 14, 1862 along the gaps of South Mountain. An extension of the Blue Ridge Range, South Mountain was a heavily wooded and rocky terrain that ran southwest from Pennsylvania down to the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry. To the east of the mountain was the town of Frederick, Maryland, less than 50 miles from Washington, D.C.<ref>John David Hoptak, ''The Battle of South Mountain'' (Charleston, S.C.: The History Press, 2011), 36.</ref>
The fighting that occurred on the long Sunday was fierce and constant. Artillery, musket, bayonet, and fists were all employed as weapons, which resulted in a tremendous number of casualties. The Union forces engaged that day totaled 28,000 and by nightfall 2,325 were listed as casualties. The Confederate Army utilized 18,000 troops and suffered a loss of 2,685 men, an astounding 800 of which were listed as missing.<ref>David J. Eicher, ''The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War'' (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001), 344.</ref>These men, many of whom are lost to history, engaged in a battle that led directly to the bloodiest single day in U.S. military history, Antietam, which in turn led to a new war aim for President Abraham Lincoln. The Battle of South Mountain, therefore, was the catalyst for the events that forever altered the course of the Civil War.
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