Casualties

Antietam 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
 

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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Last updated: January 3, 2024

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