Dead Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Antietam. (Alexander Gardner via Library of Congress)

History buffs and Civil War aficionados are in for a treat this weekend, with events marking the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest single day in the entirety of the war between the states.

Though the battle played out on September 17, 1862, events over the next four days will commemorate the clash that left 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded or missing. At the Antietam National Battlefield in Sharpsburg, Md., programming this weekend includes guided tours of the battle site, period-specific music performances, exhibits of 19th-century weaponry and lectures by leading Civil War scholars including Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust. Admission is $4 per person, $6 for parking, and the schedule of activities can be found here.

For people who want to get really into the sesquicentennial of Antietam, a cast of Civil War re-enactors will be staging mock battles on Saturday, Sunday and Monday at the Washington County Ag Center a few miles away at 7313 Sharpsburg Pike in Boonsboro, Md. Admission is $19 for adults, and for $30, you can even join the re-enactment as a last-minute walk-on. (Civil War-era gear not included.)

Antietam dealt colossal losses to both the Union and the Confederacy. By day’s end, over 12,000 Union soldiers lay dead our wounded, and more than 10,000 on the Confederate. Though the battle did plug the rebel advance into Maryland, it was hardly the victory the Union was hoping for. President Abraham Lincoln thought General George B. McClellan did a sloppy job defending Antietam Creek and provided the Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee with ample opportunities to win. Lee only withdrew first after losing a greater percentage of his soldiers.

But the strategic victory was achieved. After Antietam, Lee withdrew into rebel territory, a move that offered Lincoln the political cover to issue a preliminary version of the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22.

A copy of the Emancipation Proclamation purchased earlier this year by the philanthropist and investor David M. Rubenstein will go on display next Thursday at President Lincoln’s Cottage at 3700 North Capitol Street NW.