Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam (Pivotal Moments in American History) - Hardcover

McPherson, James M

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0195135210 ISBN 13: 9780195135213

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2002

Synopsis

The Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest single day in American history, with more than 6,000 soldiers killed--four times the number lost on D-Day, and twice the number killed in the September 11th terrorist attacks. In Crossroads of Freedom, America's most eminent Civil War historian, James M. McPherson, paints a masterful account of this pivotal battle, the events that led up to it, and its aftermath.

About this title

Review:

This concise, elegantly written book by the commanding general of the army of American Civil War historians brilliantly captures the larger meaning of the war through the prism of one bloody and pivotal battle (The Times Literary Supplement)

[McPherson] does a superb job of re-creating a moment when the war, and all of American history that followed, might have gone altogether differently

McPherson is the preeminent historian of the Civil War (Washington Post)

Synopsis:

The Battle of Antietam was the bloodiest day in American history, and the turning point of the whole Civil War. At the point where Confederate troops invaded Maryland, poised to take Washington, the morale of the Union was at an all time low. It had suffered a series of defeats, it seemed that foreign governments were on the verge of recognizing the Confederacy and legitimizing its cause, and the Emancipation Proclamation had been shelved indefinitely. McPherson argues that the Union victory at Antietam sharply reversed all this, and gave the Union a new raison d'etre in the form of Emancipation. McPherson combines a compelling narrative of the battle itself with a clear analysis of the political situation surrounding it. The final chapters discuss the aftermath of the battle, and its reputation as a pivotal moment in American history.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0195135210
• ISBN 13: 9780195135213
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 220