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The Little General

The Little General
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 6
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   8.94

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    brigade, brigadier, lieutenant, tavern, unpopular, politics, slavery, instrumental, unsuccessful, victory, senate, engineer, term, railway, title, chief
     content words:    William Mahone, Fielding Jordan, Martha Drew Mahone, Fort Monroe, When William, Virginia Military Institute, Rappahannock Military Academy, Petersburg Railroad, Civil War, Confederate Army

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The Little General
By Tammy Scarbrough 		  
1     It was December 1, 1826, when little William Mahone was born to Fielding Jordan and Martha Drew Mahone in Fort Monroe, Virginia. His father owned a tavern and gambled at times. When William was young, his father had lost almost all of his money when he decided to give his last few dollars to young William, out of disgust, and go to bed. William not only won all of his money back for him that night, but he also won the other gambler's money, horse, and carriage. His father told William to give him all of the money, to which he replied, "Here is what you lost. I am going to keep my winnings and educate myself."
 
2     At 17½ years old, William joined the Virginia Military Institute. He graduated three years later, at age 21, a lot smarter, but not a lot taller. He was still only a little over 5 feet tall. The name "Little William" stuck with him for many years.
 
3     William taught at the Rappahannock Military Academy for a short time before becoming a civil engineer for ten years. He became the chief engineer, and subsequently president, of the Norfolk and Petersburg Railroad. When the Civil War broke out, Mahone offered his services to Virginia. He began his military career as a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army. By November of 1861, he had been promoted to brigadier general.

Paragraphs 4 to 6:
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