The soldiers battle, historian john michael priest tells this brutal tale of slaughter from an entirely new point of view. The union name for the battle is derived from antietam creek, which flows south from gettysburg, pennsylvania, to the. The battle of antietam 1st mariner books ed by sears, stephen w. A history from beginning to end american civil war book 3 ebook.
This is the most popular standard account of the maryland campaign of 1862 and the battle of antietam. The union name for the battle is derived from antietam creek, which. Learn about the bloodiest day in american history, the battle of antietam, from historian dan vermilya less than a mile from where it happened. The battle was a watershed in terms of both influence at the national level and in terms of casualties. Mcclellans army of the potomac, near sharpsburg, maryland and antietam creek. It also demonstrated the limitations of the union commanders in taking initiative and understanding the deep battle. I consider this audio version of the bloody ground. The pry house was mcclellans headquarters during the battle. Sears is the author of many awardwinning books on the civil war, including gettysburg and landscape turned red.
Battle of antietam the battle of antietam was a turning point in the civil war. It takes the reader from the controversial return of george b. Map is annotated by hand to show the confederate positions in red, additional hachures in pencil and blue ink,and a 34inch grid. Sears does have a bit of a northern bias and tends to simplify the controversies of the campaign such as lees lost order, but if you havent read anything about the. The carnage and chaos began in the east woods and cornfield and continued inexorably on as mcclellan s and lee s troops collided at the west woods, bloody lane and burnside bridge. Top 5 civil war books on the battle of antietam and the maryland campaign of 1862. Combining brilliant military analysis with rich narrative history, landscape turned red is the definitive work on the battle of antietam. The book covers the bloodiest single day battle of the american civil war and a battlefield park that has suffered very little from commercialization. Lee crossed the potomac to invade maryland and pennsylvania. Jan 18, 2020 the battle of antietam is full of such small stories, tales that combine to reveal the horror of one of the civil wars worst days.
Battle of antietam, also called battle of sharpsburg, september 17, 1862, in the american civil war 186165, a decisive engagement that halted the confederate invasion of maryland, an advance that was regarded as one of the greatest confederate threats to washington, d. The soldiers battle by john michael priest is one amazing book and one of the best books on antietam as is to antietam creek. Comparable to a narrative style, the author walks readers through the days clash of forces on. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. New book on the famed cornfield at antietam cannonball. The park library maintains a collection of books and manuscripts relevant to the study of the battle of antietam, development antietam national cemetery and the national park. In the book, stotelmyer argues against the popular theory that mcclellan was an incompetent commander during the maryland campaign. Would you consider the audio edition of the bloody ground. Battle of antietam the battle of antietam was a turning point in. List of books and articles about battle of antietam. Top 5 civil war books on the battle of antietam and the maryland. Apr 03, 2020 the book briefly recounts the events of the maryland campaign leading up to the battle of antietam before giving the cornfield action of september 16 and 17, 1862 a detailed tactical treatment. Apr 20, 2009 much like you cannot write a solid book about the civil war without referring to the official records, you cannot write a study of the battle of antietam and the maryland campaign of 1862 without referring to ezra carmans massive study of the campaign and battle. The battle of antietam is full of such small stories, tales that combine to reveal the horror of one of the civil wars worst days.
Five books on the battle of antietam after all, today is september 17. For these reasons, the book is a worthy addition to the. He was a contributor to the centers publication the story of the noncommissioned officer corps. In crossroads of freedom, americas most eminent civil war historian, james m. An atlas of the antietam sharpsburg campaign, including the battle of south mountain, september 2 20, 1862 savas beatie military atlas bradley m. Book defends mcclellans actions during antietam, other. George mcclellan, mounted a series of powerful assaults against general robert e. The civil war battle waged on september 17, 1862, at antietam creek, maryland, was one of the bloodiest in the nations history. Consequently, just six days after the battle, lincoln issued his preliminary proclamation which declared that slaves would be freed on 1 january 1863 in those states still in rebellion. The battle of antietam or sharpsburg opened on the morning of sept. While general lee sought to bring the war to the north and liberate maryland, general mcclellan, having gained important intelligence, would. Author dennis frye talked about his book, antietam shadows. The union called it the battle of antietam, and the confederacy referred to it as the battle of sharpsburg.
Easily affordable and wellwritten, sears landscape turned red is an excellent introduction to the topic. Here you can find publications, maps, multimedia and themerelated merchandise, please call them with any questions at 301 4324329. A valuable and insightful book that informs you about the tactical and strategic aspects of the antietam battle. My main question about this book is if antietam is truly the turning point of the war as mcpherson contends. Discover the best civil war antietam history in best sellers. Probably more raw material letters, diaries, unit histories about the civil war battle of antietam has been crammed into this volume than any other book on the subject.
Drawing heavily on firstperson accounts and military records, and supported by two dozen accurate and wellcrafted maps, welkers book is a welcome addition to the historiography of the battle southerners called sharpsburg for the nearest town and northerners called antietam for the most prominent geographic feature. Crossroads of freedom became one of those rare books. Battle of antietam 1862 to be better than the printed version as the narrator brings the characters to life, reading in a measured way that holds the listeners attention. Apr 20, 2020 drawing heavily on firstperson accounts and military records, and supported by two dozen accurate and wellcrafted maps, welkers book is a welcome addition to the historiography of the battle southerners called sharpsburg for the nearest town and northerners called antietam for the most prominent geographic feature. Priest 1994, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. But antietam gave lincolns threat more credibility. It is really a wonderful volume with excellently chosen excerpts of soldiers accounts and exquisite reproduction of illustrations and photographs of the battle and aftermath of the battle and rare photos of the soldiers that appear alongside their accounts. Antietam veteran ezra carman diligently assembled a mountain of firsthand accounts of antietam and the maryland campaign as a whole, and. Mcclellan as commander of the army of the potomac through the confederate invasion, the siege and capture of harpers ferry, the daylong battle of south mountain, and, ultimately, to the eve of the great and terrible battle of antietam. Five books on the battle of antietam after all, today is. Mcpherson, paints a masterful account of this pivotal battle, the. On 17 september 1862, the army of the potomac met the army of northern virginia on the rolling farmlands around sharpsburg, maryland.
On 17 september 1862, the army of the potomac met the army of northern virginia on. Antietam library and research center antietam national. By the end of the evening, 17 september 1862, an estimated 4,000 american soldiers had been killed and over 18,000 wounded in and around the small farming community of sharpsburg, maryland. Which antietam books should you buy the best antietam. He described his research approach and gave examples of famous quotes about the battle that might not be true. To antietam creek johns hopkins university press books. He drew on research from his book, that field of blood.
Concentrating on the days of actual battleseptember 16, 17, and 18, 1862priest vividly brings to life the fear, the horror, and the profound courage that soldiers. The carnage and chaos began in the east woods and cornfield and continued inexorably on as mcclellan s and lee s troops collided at. Antietam is remembered as the bloodiest day in american military history. The battle of antietam, fought on september 17, 1862, was the bloodiest single day in american history, with more than 6,000 soldiers killedfour times the number lost on dday, and twice the number killed in the september 11th terrorist attacks. Topics include the 1st texas infantry, the union high command, and the effect of. He is the author of the blue and gray in black and white. He does a good job of showing the mood in the north in the months before the war, with the great concern after the failure of the peninsula campaign and the route of second bull run.
The book offers a good, basic, coverage of the battle of antietam. The battle of antietam was fought on september 17, 1862 between the union and the confederacy during the civil war. Despite the depth of the fighting which the book delves into, welker brings the intense combat and tragedy of the cornfield to a personal level by. In the span of several hours, there would be more loss of american life than in any other battle before or since, leaving one in four of the soldiers who took part either dead or wounded by the end of the day. The heavy fog that shrouded antietam creek on the morning of september 17, 1862, was disturbed by the boom of federal artillery fire. The battle of antietam marked the culmination of confederate general robert e. Battle of antietam tavis smiley speaks with professor james mcpherson about a battle that many historians consider to be the bloodiest day in. Top 5 civil war books on the battle of antietam and the.
Carman, a union veteran of the battle, dedicated his later years to studying. Confederate and union armies gathered on opposite sides of antietam creek. The battle of antietam has been called the bloodiest single day in american history. What attracted you to the 1862 maryland campaign as a subject. Lees army of northern virginia and union general george b. The book briefly recounts the events of the maryland campaign leading up to the battle of antietam before giving the cornfield action of september 16 and 17, 1862 a detailed tactical treatment. It also addresses the international question of whether a union defeat at antietam could have led to european involvement in support of the southern states. A special collection of original essays by several leading scholars on this pivotal campaign of the civil war. The battle of antietam the bloodiest day by ted alexander.
The park store is operated by eastern national, nonprofit cooperating association for antietam national battlefield. Comparable to a narrative style, the author walks readers through the days clash of forces on specific location, hour by hour on the battlefield. Lee and the northern forces were led by general george b. A history of civil war photography praeger, 2005, the first narrative history about the wars. Battle of antietam joins his other battlefield guides to balls bluff and first and second bull run. Near my top five would be the antietam volume from time lifes voices of the civil war series from 1996. Jan 31, 2012 occasionally i will grab a book to try to find a phrase or claim i remember in the book or to clarify my memory on some subject, but very rare is the book that i read a second time.
The antietam battlefield guide is the second of many civil war guidebooks and continued setting the standard started in the gettysburg guide. Unfortunately, the author, a maryland highschool teacher, offers the barest minimum of analysis or interpretation. Available also through the library of congress web site as a raster image. This staff ride guide examines the maryland campaign and battle of antietam, the bloodiest day in american history. Oprahs book club quickly became a hugely influential force in the publishing. List of books and articles about battle of antietam online. Battle of antietam, 1862 to be better than the print version. The long road to antietam american battlefield trust. The battle of antietam, also called the battle of sharpsburg, occurred on september 17, 1862, at antietam creek near sharpsburg, maryland. The thing about the battle of antietam was that it wasnt really a victory for either side. Jan 24, 2020 the battle of antietam is full of such small stories, tales that combine to reveal the horror of one of the civil wars worst days. Library holdings include books, bound volumes, vertical files, manuscripts, limited photographs, maps, and microfilm. List of books and articles about battle of antietam online research.
Battle of watling street 61ce rome vs british barbarians total war. Lees forces along antietam creek near sharpsburg, maryland, on september 17th, 1862. The battle of antietam audiobook by captivating history. Up until the battle of antietam the confederate army had been. Unlike many historical battle accounts of past wars, sears has written an insightful, easy but well researched book on perhaps our nations most critical one day battle. Stephen w sears book landscape turned red the battle of. It is known by both today, but antietam is the more common usage. Union casualties numbered 12,400 men, and confederates casualties amounted to 10,320.
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