Frank Carlson Library

General John A. Wickham, commander of the famous 101st Airborne Division in the 1970s and subsequently Army Chief of Staff, once visited Antietam battlefield. Gazing at Bloody Lane where, in 1862, several Union assaults were brutally repulsed before they finally broke through, he marveled, "You couldn't get American soldiers today to make an attack like that." Why did those men risk certain death, through countless bloody battles and four long, awful...

In this book, prize winning author James M. McPherson tells the story of the battle of Antietam - the turning point of the whole Civil War, and the bloodiest day in American history. In a concise narrative, McPherson takes readers through the events leading up to Antietam, and through the savage fighting of the battle itself. The final chapters will discuss the aftermath of the battle and why it truly was a pivotal moment in American history.

"Winner of the Warren F. Kuehl Prize, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations" James M. McPherson is the George Henry Davis '86 Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University. His many books include the Pulitzer Prize-winning Battle Cry of Freedom and the New York Times bestseller Crossroads of Freedom. Originally published in 1964, The Struggle for Equality presents an incisive and vivid look at the abolitionist movement and...

Evaluates Lincoln's talents as a commander in chief in spite of limited military experience, tracing the ways in which he worked with, or against, his senior commanders to defeat the Confederacy and reshape the presidential role.

Examines the events and effects of the American Civil War.