Confederate victory at Sharpsburg, What happens next?

If the Confedates won at Sharpsburg (Antietam) What would be Lee's next target?

  • Philadelphia

    Votes: 5 15.6%
  • Washington

    Votes: 10 31.3%
  • Baltimore

    Votes: 6 18.8%
  • Other

    Votes: 11 34.4%

  • Total voters
    32
My guess is Lee would probably try to secure Baltimore, and by extension, Maryland in order to shift the front north, away from Virginia. Whether it works is a different question entirely.

Lee's army was on a very tenuous supply line, and without another quick victory, he'd be forced to retreat in order to avoid being cut off. McClellan would almost certainly be sacked permanently, and with a Confederate army in Union territory, the Emancipation Proclamation will probably be delayed or butterflied away. McClellan would also lack the credibility to run for President, and whether Lincoln gets unseated depends on what happens after Sharpsburg.

The Union will probably win the war in the long run unless Lee continues to roll sixes.
 
Lee's army was close to falling apart due to lack of supplies as it was. The troops were eating unripe corn and in many cases marching on bare feet. Factor in the fact that he probably would have less then then 40,000 troops maybe as few as 25,000 after the battle. Lee didn't have any option to withdraw. The army of the Potomac still had almost the entirely of V,VI, and a division of IV corps that had not seen action yet and where with the army.
 
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