Antietam National Cemetery: The Final Resting Place For Thousands

Even in a war known for savage battles with casualty rates as high as 40% Antietam stands out.
The Battle of Antietam (or Sharpsburg) was the deadliest day in American history with a staggering 3,654 deaths on September 17, 1862 and another 3000 dieing of wounds in the weeks after the battle.
In 1865 a section of the Sharpsburg battlefield was dedicated as a final resting place for Union soldiers. Originally the cemetery was going to include dead from both sides but the southern states were broke after the war they could not help with the financial aspect of reburying the dead and the cemetery went forward for Union soldiers only.