One cannot discuss the Antietam campaign without at least acknowledging the gruesome casualty totals on both sides of the war. Be that as it may, the consequences of the Antietam campaign far exceeded the mere body count. Before Antietam, the Confederacy gained tremendous momentum with Stonewall Jackson's successful raid on Harpers Ferry and Robert E. Lee's victory at Second Bull Run, but Confederate leadership viewed military success on Union soil as a factor necessary for long-term victory. In this article I will argue that the Confederate decision to invade Maryland was actually a good strategy, but their eventual defeat at Antietam reconfigured the political and military landscape of the American Civil War. After Antietam, Lincoln, displeased with McClellan's performance against Lee, reshaped the command structure of the Union generals and felt confident enough to issue the Emancipation Proclamation that ensured a favorable Union position regarding foreign policy. As such, the true meaning of the Antietam campaign was about the subsequent political changes in military command, the improvement of Union morale, and Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation as opposed to the Union's technical victory over the Confederates on the battlefield. The Army of Northern Virginia was simply dominating the Union. Victories at both the Second Bull Run and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's capture of Harper's Ferry prompted the Confederate leadership to attempt to wage a campaign on Union soil. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson's men scouted Harpers Ferry intensely before attempting to seize the garrison position, and their quick victory reflected the tactical skill that had defeated the Union by... middle of paper... . Lincoln's release of the Emancipation Proclamation, effectively freeing slaves in rebellious states and destroying Confederate chances of allying with European countries. The costs of the Antietam campaign were immensely severe, as were the great losses of life. surely accompanied by brutal psychological problems and destruction of morale. Likewise, he allowed Lincoln to issue a presidential proclamation that dismantled the South's economic and cultural landscape. What was most ironic about the effects of Antietam is that Lee's masterful battlefield strategy against an equally miserable performance by McClellan actually led to a "loss" of the Confederacy and the rejuvenation of the Union. The reinvigorated and reorganized Union, however, reaped such benefits as a result of nonmilitary advantages resulting from not losing rather than from a decisive victory in battle..