James Marten
"By turns detailed and sweeping, Antietam 1862 transcends the typical campaign history to become nothing less than a critical survey of the entire war, centered on the battle that most historians consider the true 'high water mark' of the Confederacy. T. Stephen Whitman not only captures the drama of Antietam’s role as the bloodiest single day in the history of American warfare, but also explains the strategic, political, and moral contexts of the battle, particularly Abraham Lincoln’s evolving attitudes toward slavery."
William Blair
"This is a story primarily about how emancipation came, and how the war embraced a new birth of freedom as a goal. Like more recent studies, this book argues for considering Antietam as a more pivotal turning point in the war than even Gettysburg because of its centrality to this event. But the focus here is on much more than the battle. The work is indicative of the recent trend that situates battles within their broader political, social, and military contexts. Whitman offers a balanced synthesis of scholarship within an accessible narrative, from which a general audience can gain a greater appreciation for the various factors and agents that helped change the meaning of freedom in this country."
Adam Goodheart
“In Whitman’s expert telling, Antietam becomes far more than just a clash of armies: it stands as the central moment in an unfolding drama of slavery and freedom.”
