Which battle was the single bloodiest day of the Civil War?

Which battle was the single bloodiest day of the Civil War?

• A. Gettysburg
• B. Antietam
• C. Chickamauga
• D. Vicksburg

Answer: (B)

The key idea here is measuring how many soldiers were killed, wounded, or went missing in just one day. Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862 near Sharpsburg, Maryland, produced about 23,000 casualties in a single day. That immense loss in 24 hours makes it the bloodiest day in American military history. Gettysburg, by contrast, was the bloodiest battle overall, but it happened over three days, not in one day, so it doesn’t hold the single-day record. Chickamauga and Vicksburg had heavy losses too, but their fighting didn’t reach the same one-day casualty total as Antietam.

The key idea here is measuring how many soldiers were killed, wounded, or went missing in just one day. Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862 near Sharpsburg, Maryland, produced about 23,000 casualties in a single day. That immense loss in 24 hours makes it the bloodiest day in American military history. Gettysburg, by contrast, was the bloodiest battle overall, but it happened over three days, not in one day, so it doesn’t hold the single-day record. Chickamauga and Vicksburg had heavy losses too, but their fighting didn’t reach the same one-day casualty total as Antietam.