Which of the following best describes the result of the battle of antietam? neither side won, but it was a strategic victory for the south. both sides suffered losses, but it was a strategic victory for the north. the south won the battle of antietam decisively. the north won the battle of antietam decisively.

Both sides suffered losses, but it was a strategic victory for the North.

The result of the Battle of Antietam was that both sides suffered losses, but it was a strategic victory for the North.

The Battle of Antietam was the first great combat of the American Civil War that took place in northern territory. The battle took place on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and in the vicinity of the Antietam stream. The battle was part of the Maryland Campaign and is the bloodiest in the history of the United States that was fought in a single day, with almost 23,000 casualties.

After pursuing Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the territory of Maryland, Union Major General George B. McClellan attacked Lee's army, that had established defensive positions behind the Antietam stream.

Despite the numerical superiority of the Union, McClellan's attacks failed to concentrate troops, allowing Lee to turn his troops inside his ranks to deal with each attack. Despite McClellan's abundant reserve forces that could have been deployed to achieve localized successes, McClellan failed to destroy Lee's army. Nevertheless, the invasion of Maryland by Lee was stopped, although this one could retire to Virginia without opposition on the part of the cautious McClellan. Although the battle did not produce a conclusive result in tactical terms, it had a unique importance, since Lee's retreat was enough to give President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to announce his Emancipation Proclamation.