During the Civil War there were many different battles. Each of these battles received two names. One from the North and a name from the South. The North named the towns based on the closest town to the battle grounds. The South named the battles based on the nearest body of water (creek, river, lake, etc.). The battle of Antietam was known as the battle of Sharpsburg in the North because it was located close to the town of Sharpsburg, Maryland. The battle of Antietam started the morning of September 17th and lasted until September 18th, 1862. This was considered one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War.