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Antietam National BattlefieldRifle fire demonstration
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Antietam National Battlefield
Casualties of Battle
dead soldiers on the battlefield
 
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

Confederate

Total

Killed

2,100

1,550

3,650

Wounded

9,550

7,750

17,300

Missing/Captured

750

1,020

1,770

Total

12,400

10,320

22,720


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.
 
burial crews
 
Approximate Casualties by Phase of Battle

Union

Confederate

Total

Morning Phase Engaged

23,600

20,100

43,700

Casualties

7,280

6,580

13,860

Mid-Day Phase Engaged

10,000

6,800

16,800

Casualties

2,900

2,600

5,500

Afternoon Phase Engaged

13,800

7,150

20,950

Casualties

2,600

1,120

3,720

Source: The Antietam Battlefield Board
 
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.
 
graph of battle casualties
Henry Kyd Douglas  

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.

Last Updated: August 09, 2006 at 16:04 EST