When people think of the most horrifying and traumatic events in American history the JFK and MLK Jr. assassinations, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and the attack on Pearl Harbor all seem to come to mind. People tend to forget the bloodiest day in American history which was the Battle of Antietam. On the day of September 17, 1862 there were a total of 6,300 to 6,500 Confederate and Union soldiers killed. The stories from the surviving soldiers allow the readers to create images in their head on how terrifying the battle was. All throughout the book the author James McPherson uses quotes by the soldiers and he also uses newspaper clippings and government documents to support his views and opinions on this event in history.
In the first chapter, McPherson goes into detail the year leading up to the great battle of Antietam. Throughout his explanations of the events that perspired and how it impacted the Union and Confederates. Seen in this chapter is also the …show more content…
One of the generals that McPherson focuses on early in the chapter is General McClellan and General Robert E. Lee. All throughout this chapter though the author also gives the reader a great sense in the battles being won and lost by both sides and how each battle played a significant part in the following months. There is usually bias playing a part in the writing of the author but it really seems that McPherson writes real unbiased due to the fact that he wrote a good amount on the thoughts of both McClellan and Lee. And through the writing you really get a good idea of the thoughts and ideas of both parties and how they disliked each other. Later on in the chapter there is a piece on how the government was making steps forward on the topic of slavery, and the conflicts on passing certain laws like the Emancipation