Crossroads of Freedom

Posted on 26 January 2017 by James M. McPherson

The Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest single day in American history, with 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.As McPherson shows, by September 1862 the survival of the United States was in doubt The Union had suffered a string of defeats, and Robert E Lee s army was in Maryland, poised to threaten Washington The British government was openly talking of recognizing the Confederacy and brokering a peace between North and South Northern armies and voters were demoralized And Lincoln had shelved his proposed edict of emancipation months before, waiting for a victory that had not come that some thought would never come.Both Confederate and Union troops knew the war was at a crossroads, that they were marching toward a decisive battle It came along the ridges and in the woods and cornfields between Antietam Creek and the Potomac River Valor, misjudgment, and astonishing coincidence all played a role in the outcome McPherson vividly describes a day of savage fighting in locales that became forever famous The Cornfield, the Dunkard Church, the West Woods, and Bloody Lane Lee s battered army escaped to fight another day, but Antietam was a critical victory for the Union It restored morale in the North and kept Lincoln s party in control of Congress It crushed Confederate hopes of British intervention And it freed Lincoln to deliver the Emancipation Proclamation, which instantly changed the character of the war.McPherson brilliantly weaves these strands of diplomatic, political, and military history into a compact, swift moving narrative that shows why America s bloodiest day is, indeed, a turning point in our history. Download Crossroads of Freedom – kino-fada.fr Enjoyed this a lot Had read his main Civil War book but quite a long time ago Two main thoughts, one controversial and one not 1 McClellan was a thorn in Lincoln s side with his constant excuses It to attack or even to move No wonder his men loved him he kept them away from the war 2 In the eyes of contemporaries Lincoln was naive, foolish and not up to guiding his country at war Now we dote on his every word My guess that history will treat Obama similarly, recognizing in retrospect h Enjoyed this a lot Had read his main Civil War book but quite a long time ago Two main thoughts, one controversial and one not 1 McClellan was ...Earlier in the book, I was tempted to give this 4 stars, but as the book raced as in whoosh to an end, I simply felt way too much ground was being covered in too short a space 156 pages, excluding endnotes, etc On the good side, Crossroads of Freedom Antietam is a marvel of economy McPherson knows his subject inside and out I ve rea...James McPherson s Antietam is so incredibly readable, it really makes a great book for both Civil War scholar and novice If you re looking for a read about the events leading up to Antietam and its significance to the rest of the war, this is definitely a great book to check out.Does a brilliant job of looking at the meaning of the battle of AntietamI have nearly 90 books that cover the Civil War on my bookshelf Most books that cover the Civil War compartmentalize the battles into little chapters with titles like Chancellorsville , Antietam and Shiloh The battles are thoroughly covered but the feel for the larger flow of the war is sacrificed.In Crossroads of Freedom Antietam 1862 , McPherson dramatically sweeps the reader along and I was left with a renewed Does a brilliant job of looking at the meaning of the battle of AntietamI have nearly 90 books that cover the Civil War on my bookshelf Most books that cover the Civil War compartmentalize the battles into little chapters with titles like Chancellorsville , Antietam and Shiloh The battles are thoroughly covered but the feel for the larger flow of the war is sacrificed.In Crossroads of Freedom Antietam 1862 , McPherson dramatically sweeps the reader along and I was left with a renewed sense of amazement and respect for the fact that Lee s ...I just flew through this book A very quick informative read Really enjoyed it.McPherson sets out to demonstrate that the battle at Antietam in 1862 marked a pivotal moment during the American Civil War, and in this he is correct However, while the battle itself is not the main focus of the book very few pages are devoted to the actual events McPherson spends almost the first two thirds of the book building up to Antietam and the last, and relatively short, last chapter quickly examines the results of the Union victory.McPherson makes liberal use of eyewitness accounts McPherson sets out to demonstrate that the battle at Antietam in 1862 marked a pivotal mo...solid general history covering the military, political and social implications of the bloody battle of Antietam Sharpsburg and the subsequent issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.This book makes me want to read Battle Cry of Freedom, Macpherson s gen...a little over my head at times because it s bursting with military strategy, mcpherson s main point is how the battle of antietam in the fall of 1862 prompted lincoln to follow through with his initial emancipation strategy postulated on september 22, and really, for serious this t...It s the first Civil War book I ve read that I can remember, but it was very interesting It provided a lot of insight into the battle it focused on, but also into the surrounding elements both political and social that made this battle so important.A concise account of the momentous Civil War battle as well as the smaller conflicts that led up to it It is clear that either side could have changed the outcome of the war History is made up of individual decisions Fascinating.

English
26 January 2017

James M. McPherson