Summary Chapter 1 The book begins as Ellen Creighton and her nine-year-old son, Jethro, plant potatoes for the summer crop. Ellen has had twelve children, four of whom have died. She is a tired woman who favors Jethro most of all. Three of Jethro's siblings died from children's paralysis the ye...

The Battle of Antietam The Battle of Antietam just outside of Sharpsburg Maryland, was a one-day battle between 41,000 Confederate soldiers under the command of General Robert E. Lee and 87,000 Union soldiers commanded by General George B. McClellan. The stage was set when Lee undertook an invasion...