Let's Talk About Antietam!

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I’m in a ranting mood tonight. The Battle of Antietam, or the Battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland was the “first field army-level engagement in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War that was fought on UNION soil,” and also “the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a combined tally of 22,717 dead, wounded or missing.” Quoted from Wikipedia. Robert E. Lee led the Confederate army of 45,000 soldiers in battle against George B. McClellan’s Union army of 90,000 troops. The Confederate army being woefully outnumbered. The battle lasted 12 hours, beginning at 5:30 in the morning of September 17, 1862 and lasted until 5:30 PM of the same day. What a waste of almost 23,000 men in one day. What did it prove? NOTHING!! War never solves anything! The deaths of all these men are utterly outrageous! Neither side benefitted in any way. Wikipedia says: “the battle was tactically inconclusive” but since the Confederate army withdrew to Virginia FIRST, it was considered to be a Union victory, even though McClellan was removed from his command for his refusal to pursue Lee's army. Victory??? For whom??? What could possibly be called victorious when 23,000 of some of America’s finest men died in battle? I’m finished ranting. War that causes our beautiful young men to die makes me mad and sad. And it's still happening. What do you think?