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

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Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor
Print Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor Reading Comprehension


Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 7 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.81

Vocabulary

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

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Andrew's Raiders and the Congressional Medal of Honor By Mary L. Bushong

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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.
 
⁵     At the age of 17, Jacob Parrott was perhaps the youngest man in the group. In an effort to get information from him, the Confederate soldiers opted for torture. He was held over a large rock with a pistol to his head. He was then whipped with a piece of raw hide more than 100 times. Even then he refused to speak.

Paragraphs 6 to 12:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable

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The Civil War
(1861-1865)

The Civil War (1861-1865)

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