he Battle of Antietam or Sharpsburg on September 17 1862 was the tragic culmination of Robert E. Lee's first invasion of the North. That one fateful day more than 23110 men were killed wounded or listed as missing. Approximately 4000 were killed and in the days that followed many more died of wounds or disease. The peaceful village of Sharpsburg turned into a huge hospital and burial ground extending for miles in all directions.