The Battle of Antietam in 1862 lasted for 12 hours and ranks as the
bloodiest day of the Civil War, with 10,000 Confederate casualties and even
more on the Union side. "At last the sun went down and the battle
ended," wrote one historian, "smoke heavy in the air, the twilight
quivering with the anguished cries of thousands of wounded men."
Though militarily a draw, the mediocre Union
General George McClellan was able to end the brilliant Robert E. Lee's thrust
into Maryland , forcing him to retire across
the Potomac . How was this possible? Two Union
soldiers had found a copy of Lee's battle plans and had delivered them to
McClellan before the engagement.
In
some respects, we are no match for our adversary, Satan, whose wiles we are
told to be wary of. But as with General McClellan, our enemy's plans have
fallen into our hands. We know his usual strategies--to entice us with lies,
lust, greed, and the like. With such knowledge, given us by God's Word and God's
Spirit within, we too can resist the enemy's advances.Ephesians 6:16
taking the shield of faith with which you
will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
