Antietam I (Screw Sloop of War)
(ScSlp: dp. 3,953; lbp. 312'6"; b. 46'0"; dr. 18'3"; cl. Java)
A major battle in the American Civil War fought along Antietam Creek near the town of Sharpsburg in northwestern Maryland. It was the climax to the first of General Robert E. Lee's two major attempts to bring the war home to the North. Fought on 17 September 1862, it is renowned as the bloodiest single day in American military history. Though the battle ended in a tactical draw, it was a northern victory strategically because Lee was forced to withdraw, give up the offense, and resume a defensive posture in northern Virginia.
I
The first Antietam, a screw sloop of war begun in 1864 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, was not finished by the end of the Civil War. Instead, she remained on the stocks, about two-thirds completed until 1869. At that time, it was decided to complete her as an equipment storeship. She served as a storeship and Marine barracks at League Island, Pa., from 1876 to 1888. On 8 September 1888, Antietam. was sold to Mr. C. H. Gregory of Thomaston, Long Island, N.Y.
