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The Bloodiest Day In American History

Tens of thousands killed, wounded or missing in just a few hours

Grant Piper
5 min readOct 21, 2024
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The United States is no stranger to national tragedies. From the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese Empire to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, there have been many dark days. But which day was the bloodiest in American history? Which tragedy saw the most Americans perish in a single day due to the actions of another? For that, we have to take a look at the American Civil War.

It should come as no surprise that the bloodiest day in American history came from the Civil War. The Civil War was the worst in American history and resulted in the largest number of deaths by American combatants. The Civil War resulted in 620,000 American deaths and 1.5 million US casualties. These numbers are so high because every combatant that took place in the Civil War is considered to be American.

The Civil War was host to some terrible and infamous battles, including the likes of Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and the Wilderness. But the battle that resulted in more deaths in a single day took place at Antietam.

The Battle of Antietam (also called the Battle of Sharpsburg) was fought in Maryland in 1862. It was the largest battle to take place on Union soil at the time, and it was the result of an ill-fated push…

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Grant Piper
Grant Piper

Written by Grant Piper

Professional writer. Amateur historian. Husband, father, Christian.

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