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What was the goal of General Robert E. Lee in the Maryland Campaign leading up to the Battle of Antietam?
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Battle of Antietam
Confederate dead by a fence on the Hagerstown road, Antietam, Maryland, photo by Alexander Gardner, September 1862. The Battle of Antietam was one of the costliest of the Civil War.
General Robert E. Lee's primary goals during the Maryland Campaign leading to the Battle of Antietam were to shift the burden of war onto Federal soil, influence the upcoming Congressional elections in the North, and impress European powers with the Confederacy's military strength, potentially leading to their recognition of the South. He also hoped to detach the slave state of Maryland from the Union. Lee believed that a significant Confederate victory on Northern territory could weaken the North's will to continue the war and potentially lead to its independence.12