Casualties

Antietam casualties photographed by Alexander Gardner

Library of Congress

 

Antietam Casualties by Type

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.

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.

Union, Confederate, and total casualties by type.

Status	Union	Confederate	Total

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Antietam Casualties by Locations

The combat and the resulting casualties at Antietam were concentrated at some key areas of the battlefield. This chart lists the approximate times, numbers of soldiers engaged, and the casualties at these locations. These are estimates and the total does not equal 22,720 because there were additional casualites in other areas of the field.

LOCATION	ENGAGED			CASUALTIES
Cornfield 5:30 am-9:30 am	Federal	15,000		Federal	4.200
	Confederate	12,000		Confederate	4,000
	Total	27,000		Total	8,200
West Woods 9:30 am-10:30 am	Federal	6,000		Federal	2,300
	Confederate	8,000		Confederate	2,000
	Total	14,000		Total	4,300
Bloody Lane 9:30 am-1:00 pm	Federal	10,000		Federal	2,900
	Confederate	3,000		Confederate	2,500
	Total	13,000		Total	5,400
Burnside Bridge 9:30 am-1:00 pm	Federal	5,200		Federal	500
	Confederate	500		Confederate	120
	Total	5,700		Total	620
Final Attack 3:00 pm-sunset	Federal	8,000		Federal	2,200
	Confederate	4,500		Confederate	1,000
	Total	12,500		Total	3,200

 

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