At Antietam:

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At Antietam:

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Antietam was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with over 23,000 casualties. While General Lee's Confederate forces did move north into Pennsylvania later in the war, his initial goal at Antietam was to win a decisive victory on Union soil. General McClellan did not surrender his troops, but his failure to pursue and destroy Lee's army after the battle eventually led to his dismissal from command. The Union's river fleet did play a role in the battle by preventing Confederate reinforcements from crossing the Potomac River, but it was not crucial to the outcome.