The study of the American Civil War is a prolific topic in the field of history. Historians continue to write about the war in many different ways from the social, political, military and economic causes and repercussions of the war. James McPherson has continued this field of study in his book Crossroads of Freedom: Antietam. The book examined the importance of the Battle of Antietam on the results of the Civil War. On September 17th, 1862 the Battle of Antietam, the single bloodiest day in American history, was fought in Maryland. McPherson’s book examines not only the battle itself but also the events before and after the battle. The book focuses on the political, social and diplomatic repercussions of the battle for both the Confederacy and the Union. McPherson used newspapers, documents, correspondence, person letters, diaries, memoirs, images, maps and other books to prove how the Battle of Antietam may have not been the only deciding outcome of the Civil War but can be viewed as a pivotal turning point in the war. “Antietam was arguable, …show more content…
He examined the shifting fortunes of the conflicts and how they not only effected the military actions of both parties but also the diplomatic, political and social actions. Throughout the next few chapters he explores the way the south dominated the battle field before the Battle of Antietam, the diplomatic relations with Europe and the political aspects of it all from both the Confederate and Union viewpoints. He focused on the battle and only tactical actions in the fourth chapter of the book. In the last chapter of the book McPherson explored the impact of the Union winning the battle had on the diplomatic, social and political actions of both parties. After the loss at the battle the South would never regained the momentum they held before September 1862 even though two more years of conflict