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Antietam National Battlefield
Casualties of Battle
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Casualty Does Not Equal Dead
Casualties include three categories: 1) dead; 2) wounded; and 3) missing or captured. In general terms, casualties of Civil War battles included 20% dead and 80% wounded. Of the soldiers who were wounded, about one out of seven died from his wounds. Over 2/3 of the 622,000 men who gave their lives in the Civil War died from disease, not from battle.
Antietam Casualties
Approximate Numbers |
Union
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Confederate
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Total
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Killed |
2,100
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1,550
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3,650
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Wounded |
9,550
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7,750
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17,300
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Missing/Captured |
750
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1,020
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1,770
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Total |
12,400
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10,320
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22,720
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Note: Because of the catastrophic nature of the Battle of Antietam, exact numbers of casualties were virtually impossible to compile. The sources for these figures are The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion and the Antietam Battlefield Board.
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Approximate Casualties by Phase of Battle |
Union
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Confederate
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Total
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Morning Phase |
Engaged |
23,600
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20,100
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43,700
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Casualties |
7,280
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6,580
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13,860
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Mid-Day Phase |
Engaged |
10,000
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6,800
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16,800
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Casualties |
2,900
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2,600
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5,500
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Afternoon Phase |
Engaged |
13,800
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7,150
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20,950
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Casualties |
2,600
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1,120
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3,720
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Source: The Antietam Battlefield Board
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Worst Civil War Battles
Antietam was the bloodiest one-day battle of the Civil War. But there were other battles, lasting more than one day, in which more men fell. The numbers below are total casualties for both sides.
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Did You Know?
Henry Kyd Douglas, the youngest staff officer for Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson was a native of the Sharpsburg area. His family home was just 4 miles west of the Battlefield. His uniform and personal library are part of the Battlefield collection.
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Last Updated: August 09, 2006 at 16:04 EST |