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Robert E. Lee crossed the Potomac River with 55,000 Confederate soldiers, carryi
1862 Event

September 4

Lee Invades Maryland: The Confederate Army Crosses North

Robert E. Lee crossed the Potomac River with 55,000 Confederate soldiers, carrying the war onto Northern soil for the first time. He gambled that a victory in Maryland would demoralize the Union, win European recognition, and force Lincoln to negotiate, but the campaign ended in a bloody stalemate at Antietam that gave Lincoln the leverage to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

September 4, 1862

164 years ago

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