The Battle of Antietam ( also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg , particularly in the South ) was a battle fought on September 17 , 1862 . It happened near Sharpsburg , Maryland . The Battle of Antietam ( also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg , particularly in the South ) , fought on September 17 , 1862 , near Sharpsburg , Maryland , and Antietam Creek , as part of the Maryland Campaign , was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil .