During the Civil War, thousands upon thousands of lives were lost, but no battle could compare its casualties to that of the battle of Antietam. The battle of Antietam, or Sharpsburg, was the single bloodiest day in the Civil War. The number of casualties for the Union totaled around 12,400, while the Confederate casualties added to around 10,320. Though the battle was fought in one day, it actually occurred in three different phases. These three phases all seemed to have different commanders for each side. The Union commanders in the battle were McClellan, Hooker, Mansfield, Sumner, French, and Burnside. The Confederate commanders included Lee, Jackson, Toombs, Hill and A.P. Hill. The commanders alone make it a very confusing and complicated battle.

The first phase of the battle took place at the break of dawn. It began when Hooker's forces moved in and attacked Jackson's forces, which were waiting in...