A Savage Thunder: Antietam And The Bloody Road To Freedom

Bibliography:

Murphy, Jim. A SAVAGE THUNDER: ANTIETAM AND THE BLOODY ROAD TO FREEDOM. 2009. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books. ISBN 9780689876332

Plot Summary:

This is a story about one day during the Civil War and how the blood that was shed would have a huge impact on history.  During the Civil War, a war that was about the rights of people, specifically the power that a state can hold when it came to laws and slaves. The Union soldiers led by General McClellan and the Confederate soldiers led by General Robert E. Lee were in a do or die; fight to the end, battle to uphold what each side believed in as being right.  The Civil War had already become a ugly war of principles, states' rights, and the right to prove a group of people wrong about slaves.  President Lincoln was poised and ready to make good on giving freedom to slaves but there were states that depended on the slaves to help their economy.  Although General McClellan was a leader for the Union Army, he quietly believed the slaves were essential to maintaining a balance in good economy.  During this time, many of the soldiers were tiring of the fighting and knew they were outnumbered and so they wanted to give up.  On the other side, General Lee and his Confederate soldiers were also getting tired but it was due to lack of supplies and resources. General Lee was confident that he and his men would win against General McClellan because Lee understood how McClellan led: steady and cautious.  Unfortunately, one of General Lee's messengers delivered by accident to General McClellan the orders as to where and how they planned on defeating the Union soldiers.  With this information in hand, General McClellan used it to get an upper hand but he still was cautious as to how he and his men would beat the Confederate Army. For what seemed like days but was only a day one of the deadliest and violent fights happened between the Union soldiers and the Confederate soldiers.

Critical Analysis:

Jim Murphy is an award winning author who writes with great detail about the dark moments in American history.  Mr. Murphy does extensive research about the Civil War and he somehow comes across details and accounts about the battle that was fought at Antietam Creek.  Mr. Murphy provides details about what happened on September 17, 1862 using notes, journals, and photographs found in various books and archives. He writes with such great detail that the reader will forget this is a story written based off of records from another time period.  I would recommend this story for students studying US History as well as battles and wars that happened in Early America.

Review Excerpt(s):

JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD: "The book’s most compelling insights come from forgotten soldiers whose anecdotal recollections are touching, heartbreaking, and humorous."

KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred):"The liberal inclusion of both archival material and maps showing troop movements during skirmishes helps to draw readers in, but what makes this impassioned volume speak—literally—are the many primary-source quotations of those involved, from the least to the most."

Connections:

This story can be used to discuss the characters and traits of militaries and wars from then until now have shaped how America protects it people.

Teachers can have students take a closer look at the battles and their locations that happened during the Civil War. doing an analysis of soldiers, weaponry, casualties, looking at which side was better prepared and the reasons why.