edHelper.com
The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor

Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 7 to 8
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   6.81

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    insanity, valor, telegraph, testimony, notorious, mortality, naval, cellar, countryside, military, abandon, refused, raid, prisoner, bridges, torture
     content words:    Civil War, Big Shanty, Jacob Parrott, Castle Thunder, War Stanton, Congressional Medal, Revolutionary War, Purple Heart Medal, In December, In July

Print Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor
     Print Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor  (font options, pick words for additional puzzles, and more)

Quickly Print - PDF format
     Quickly Print: PDF (2 columns per page)
     Quickly Print: PDF (full page)

Quickly Print - HTML format
     Quickly Print: HTML

Proofreading Activity
     Print a proofreading activity

Feedback on Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor
     Leave your feedback on Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor  (use this link if you found an error in the story)

Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor
By Mary L. Bushong 		  
1     What do six young men, a stolen train, and war medals have in common? More than just a good story, they tell of bravery, pain, and the determination to keep going on.
 
2     In any war, there are times when special missions are planned. There were many such missions during the Civil War, but Andrew's Raiders were special. A group of men were to go behind Southern lines and steal a train engine. Then, moving north, they would cut telegraph lines, tear up tracks, and burn bridges. By doing this they would keep supplies and fresh troops from reaching Chattanooga, TN.
 
3     Such a daring raid was sure to have a high mortality rate. Men were chosen who had no families. In all, 22 men set out. They were known as Andrew's Raiders.
 
4     The men slowly made their way south and met in Marietta, Georgia. There they took a train north to the town of Big Shanty. When everyone went to eat breakfast, the raiders stole the train. Everything started well, and then things began to go wrong. After traveling about 87 miles, they were forced to abandon the effort, and the men scattered into the countryside. They were all captured in three days.

Paragraphs 5 to 12:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable
Copyright © 2009 edHelper