This is the story of the battle of Antietam and the events leading up to the single bloodiest day in the entire Civil War, in which Union casualties topped 12,000 and Confederate casualties topped 11,000. It is also the story of such memorable figures of military history as Lee and McClellan, Burnside, Longstreet, Hooker, and Jackson, who took part in it.

C. X. Moreau has faithfully brought to life the drama and the tragedy of Antietam and the common history of the officers and soldiers of both armies who so valiantly served their cause.