Booknotes: Stories from the Antietam Campaign

New Arrival:

• Stories from the Antietam Campaign: A Historical Remembrance by Jimmy Keenan (Author, 2023).

Stories from the Antietam Campaign describes itself as "a collection of random articles related to the Confederate Army’s invasion of Maryland in September 1862." As explained by author Jimmy Keenan in his prologue, the Antietam article forms found in this book were directly inspired by the "short stories/vignettes that were interspersed among the articles" presented in Civil War Times Illustrated's Gettysburg commemorative magazine from the 1960s. Keenan's Stories contains forty such pieces.

Chapters explore a wide range of Antietam-related topics. More from the description: "The book’s Introduction starts with a summary of the entire Antietam Campaign. The following chapters are an assortment of short stories and vignettes. These essays include the legend of Barbara Fritchie along with the author’s theory regarding Robert E. Lee’s Lost Order. In addition, any questions about the location of McClellan’s headquarters during the Battle of Antietam are cleared up by the general’s own words. The fall of Harper’s Ferry, along with other events from this pivotal time in American history, are included in this Civil War anthology."

Maps, photographs, drawings, and other illustrations are sprinkled throughout. Article length varies, with the forty pieces plus introduction and epilogue spread among 350 pages of main text. Many chapters contain additional commentary in the form of an "Author's Note." At the end of each article, readers will find a source list and chapter notes.