Surely I will be chastised for saying what follows and I will, perhaps, deserve it, so have at me.
But when I self importantly took on the mantle of Hoplologist, I became obliged to, asometimes, just say what happened without opinion.
To Date their have been 4091 Coalition Deaths in Iraq since the start of the war.
There have been 27,036 causalties in the same time Frame.
Antietam, again without opinions or commentary, was a Battle that Historians have divided into several Phases.
The "Morning" phase itself is divided into subphases, the first of which was "the Cornfield".
In the "Cornfield" subphase of the morning phase on Sept. 17, 1862, casualties sufferedby the Union forces (Army of the Potomac) totaled 4,350 and the Army of Northern Virginia suffered 4,200 casualties.
By the end of the single bloodiest day in American military history 12,400 Union Soldiers were casualties out of 56,000 engaged.
On the Confederate side by the end of the day, 10, 300 men were casualties out of 37,400 engaged.
By the end of the Day 2100 Union Soldiers were dead, 9350 wounded and 750 missing or captured.
Confederate losses were 1550 killed, 7750 wounded and 1150 missing or captured.
Totals speak for themselves---3,650 Americans were dead in one day of battle, in which Robert Gould Shaw Of "One Gallant Rush" fame was wounded while serving in the Army of the Potomac. (I will check which regiment he served with then.)
Food for thought or incentive to attack the messenger?
You decide.
I'll be here.
I will go so far as to recommend "One Gallant Rush" (the base for the movie "Glory") as a must read for Civil War students. It wold be debasing to refer to such students as "buffs". (oops, sorry an opinion)
I hope to add pictures of the Battlefield if the thread develops in such a way as to require it.
The Battlefield is in need of some protection.
That "Bloody Ground", made up of bitter fights at the "Sunken Road" and the "Dunker Church" which have not received the level of recognition as has "The Hallowed Ground" of Gettysburg, whose component sub battles are rather more well known.
Perhaps they should be, I am not a judge on this thread.
J