Battle of Antietam - Bloodiest in American History

WARNING: THIS CLIP CONTAINS RECREATED SCENES OF WAR FROM THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. IT IS NOT EASY TO WATCH. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

During America's civil war, troops from the North and South engaged in a savage, twelve-hour battle at Antietam Creek (near Sharpsburg, Maryland).

At the end of the fighting - on the 17th of September, 1862 - a total of 23,000 soldiers were dead, wounded or missing. It was the bloodiest one-day battle not just of the war, but in all of American history.

In this scene, from the film "Glory," Captain Robert Gould Shaw - who later commanded the 54th Massachusetts, the first African-American regiment - is trapped between gun fire and cannon fire. Hit with shrapnel, he falls - unconscious - near a dead soldier.

The Battle of Antietam is also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg. In this clip, Captain Shaw is portrayed by Matthew Broderick.

Credits

Clip from the film "Glory" (1989), starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington.

Director
Edward Zwick

Producer
Freddie Fields

Screenplay
Kevin Jarre

Starring
Matthew Broderick
Denzel Washington
Cary Elwes
Morgan Freeman
Andre Braugher

Music
James Horner

Cinematography
Freddie Francis

Editing
Steven Rosenblum