The Bloodiest Day: Battle of Antietam

Osprey Graphic History #2

by Larry Hama

The battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862 was the first major Civil War engagement on Northern soil, and it remains the bloodiest single-day battle in American history. Of the 90,000 troops that fought, over 23,000 were killed or wounded. Antietam also marked a significant turning point: General Lee's bold invasion of the North was halted, and the Union's success, though not exploited, gave President Lincoln the victory he needed to make his Emancipation Proclamation. The battle arguably sealed the fate of the Confederacy, even if the war still had nearly three years to run. This book accurately brings to life this significant and very costly engagement in highly accessible graphic novel format. It also includes eight pages of authoritative information placing Antietam in its historical context, describing the key players, the build-up to the battle and its aftermath.

Genres: History, American Civil War, Graphic Novels

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 2006

About the author

Larry Hama is an American writer, artist, actor and musician who has worked in the fields of entertainment and publishing since the 1960s.

During the 1970s, he was seen in minor roles on the TV shows M*A*S*H and Saturday Night Live, and appeared on Broadway in two roles in the original 1976 production of Stephen Sondheim's Pacific Overtures.

He is best known to American comic book readers as a writer and editor for Marvel Comics, where he wrote the licensed comic book series G.I. Joe, A Real American Hero, based on the Hasbro action figures. He has also written for the series Wolverine, Nth Man: the Ultimate Ninja, and Elektra. He created the character Bucky O'Hare, which was developed into a comic book, a toy line and television cartoon.

Reviews

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exciting story.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid graphic overview of the causes, conduct, and impact of the Battle of Antietam.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is terrific entertainment for a ten year old. My son loves comic books so I thought this would be a great idea to get a glimpse of history and have it read like a comic book. It was a hit. He has read the book numerous times and now knows about the Battle of Antietam without yet covering the Civil War in school. And as a bonus he has used the pictures to learn to draw realistic cartoons. AND it has a great poster in the back to hang in his room.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent overview of the events. It would be a good supplement to the less-than-adequate coverage of the American Civil War found in textbooks.