Antietam and its results

Shortly after the secession of the southern states, the Civil war began. Many battles were fought in this war, in fact the Civil War is considered the bloodiest war in history! But out of all the casualties in this war, (about 1,100,000) the most were recorded during the first day of the Battle of Antietam. This Battle was also one of the most significant in the war. Not only did the Union repel a direct invasion but the Confederacy's loss also impeded any potential alliances with European powers such as Britain of France, it also created a platform for the Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation was a work of tactical genius on Lincoln's part. Basically the proclamation meant that if the Union won the war, all slaves would be free, with the exception of the slaves in border states. Lincoln's hope was that if the slaves knew they would be free in the case of a Union victory they would revolt against their masters and do their best to hinder the South's victories. The President's other motivation was the fact that the European countries were very close to recognizing the Confederacy as a  legitimate government. The only thing stopping them was slavery, which they detested. By creating the Proclamation the other countries were prevented from taking a stand until the war was resolved and it was clear whether or not the Confederacy would remain independent or not.