A Day in September

The Battle of Antietam and the World It Left Behind

Stephen Budiansky

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English

Norton
30 October 2025

History

The Battle of Antietam, which took place on September 17, 1862, remains the single bloodiest day in America's history: more than 3,600 men died in twelve hours of savage fighting, and more than 17,000 were wounded. As a turning point in the Civil War, the narrow Union victory is well-known as the key catalyst for Lincoln to issue his Emancipation Proclamation.

Yet Antietam was not only a battle that dramatically changed the fortunes and meaning of the war; it also changed America in ways we feel today. No army in history wrote so many letters or kept as many diaries as the soldiers who fought in the Civil War, and Stephen Budiansky draws on this rich record to re-create the experiences of those whose lives were forever changed, whether on the battlefield or in trying to make sense of its horrors in the years and decades to follow. Antietam would usher in a new beginning in politics, military strategy, gender roles, battlefield medicine, war photography, and the values and worldview of the postwar generation.

A masterful and fine-grained account of the battle, built around the intimate experiences of nine people whose lives intersected there, A Day in September is a story of war but also, at its heart, a human history, one that encompasses Antietam's enduring legacy.

By: Stephen Budiansky
Imprint: Norton
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 211mm, Width: 140mm, Spine: 18mm
Weight: 241g
ISBN: 9781324116806
ISBN 10: 1324116803
Pages: 304
Publication Date: 30 October 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Stephen Budiansky is a historian, biographer, and the author of Oliver Wendell Holmes: A Life in War, Law, and Ideas and Journey to the Edge of Reason: The Life of Kurt Gödel. A recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, he lives in Loudoun County, Virginia.

Reviews for A Day in September: The Battle of Antietam and the World It Left Behind

""This penetrating work…deserves to be read alongside Sears and McPherson by all students of the Civil War."" -- Harold Holzer - Wall Street Journal ""Absorbing, illuminating, compelling.… Budiansky examines how ill-prepared we as a nation were for war, but more significantly, what we learned."" -- Jeff Rowe, Associated Press ""Budiansky’s consideration of nine people caught up in the battle and its aftermath is thoughtful and insightful."" -- Lawrence D. Freedman - Foreign Affairs ""Masterly…Budiansky’s snappy prose not only vivifies the scenes, but aligns itself with the humanism – the desires and follies – drawn from his cast of characters."" -- Ron Slate - On The Seawall ""[A] fresh perspective…. Budiansky sheds new light on the pivotal battle that altered the course of the war."" -- Colonel Cole Kingseed - ARMY Magazine ""The September 1862 battle recounted through the lives of nine participants.… [T]hese masterful mini-biographies give the famous battle a compelling human face. A masterful addition to the crowded shelf of books about Antietam."" -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review