MARYLAND: ANTIETAM BATTLEFIELD

Antietam, marked with an "X" on the map below, is an hour-and-a-half northwest of Washington, D.C.

The first major battle of the Civil War on Union soil was fought here, and this battleground has the dubious distinction of having hosted the bloodiest single-day battle not just of the Civil War, but in all of American history. All told, 22,717 soldiers were killed, wounded, or declared missing on September 17, 1862.