A Savage Thunder

A Savage Thunder: Antietam and the Bloody Road to Freedom
By Jim Murphy
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009. 103 pgs. Young Adult Nonfiction

In September 1862, the Union and Confederate armies met in one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Robert E. Lee's southern troops were outnumbered, but their daring commanders were more prepared to fight than George McClellan, the northern general who constantly worried that he would be outnumbered and defeated and who allowed his personal feelings (including a dislike for President Abraham Lincoln) to interfere with his chance to possibly end the Civil War once and for all.

Murphy uses first person accounts, photographs and drawings as well as his own prose to guide readers through the bloody battle as well as to show some of the repercussions, including Lincoln's announcing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Following the course of multiple advances on the battlefield may prove tricky for some readers, but all in all, this is a great resource for students looking to understand more about the Civil War and contains lots of intriguing tidbits (such as the mention of female soldiers disguised as males) that could spark a desire for increased reading and research.

AE