I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863: Chapters 7–16

by Lauren Tarshis
In this seventh book of the historical fiction I Survived series, eleven-year-old Thomas runs away from a plantation and ends up helping Union soldiers fight for his freedom on a Pennsylvania battlefield.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–16
35 words 36 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. canteen
    a flask for carrying water; used by soldiers or travelers
    The men scrambled to fold up their tents, pack up their knapsacks, and fill their canteens at the stream.
  2. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    But the rebel fighters were fierce, even though some fought barefoot, with rickety guns that could barely shoot.
  3. rummage
    search haphazardly
    Henry looked into his knapsack, rummaging around, as though he might find the answer folded up with his blanket.
  4. shell
    a cylindrical metal casing fired from a gun
    Some of the big guns shot cannonballs that were even heavier than Thomas. Others shot shells, explosives that were filled with razor-sharp metal strips, nails, and metal balls.
  5. artillery
    large but transportable armament
    Men who managed to survive the artillery blasts were met with a storm of bullets.
  6. retreat
    pull back or move away or backward
    Four more regiments were sent in before the generals finally ordered the Union army to retreat.
  7. scorching
    hot and dry enough to burn or parch a surface
    The days were scorching hot, and some men had collapsed on the side of the road, their faces beet red, their wool uniforms soaked in sweat.
  8. drill
    undergo military training or do military exercises
    “Line up! Line up!” Captain Campbell shouted. Thomas had watched the men drill back at the camp.
  9. bayonet
    a knife fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon
    During drills they sometimes smiled and joked as they marched, tossing their hats into the air and catching them with the sharp metal tips of their bayonets.
  10. musket
    a muzzle-loading shoulder gun with a long barrel
    Bullets from a hundred muskets tore through the air.
  11. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    The Union soldiers stood up, catching their breath, running to help the few men who lay on the ground, wincing in pain.
  12. dread
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    Thomas could see the dread in the eyes of the men gathered around them.
  13. wilt
    become fatigued; lose strength
    He felt the men’s hands on him, and he had a strange wilting feeling, as if he was a plant suddenly withering away in the sun.
  14. wither
    lose freshness, vigor, or vitality
    He felt the men’s hands on him, and he had a strange wilting feeling, as if he was a plant suddenly withering away in the sun.
  15. stride
    walk with long steps
    A tall rebel soldier strode up to him.
  16. sneer
    smile contemptuously
    He sneered at Thomas. “Well, look here,” he said, grabbing Thomas roughly by the arm, squeezing so hard Thomas thought his bone would snap.
  17. hustle
    move or cause to move energetically or busily
    A burly man hustled up behind the tall soldier.
  18. bulge
    swell or protrude outwards
    He had a chest like a barrel and muscles that bulged through his tattered gray jacket.
  19. burly
    muscular and heavily built
    But the burly man grabbed the tall man’s arm and yanked him back hard.
  20. drawl
    speak in a slow and drawn out way
    “Easy, soldier,” he drawled.
  21. buck
    mature male of certain mammals, especially deer or antelope
    “Don’t hurt this one,” he said, patting Thomas on the back, as if he was a prized horse. “A strong buck like this? He’ll fetch us at least a thousand dollars at the slave auction.”
  22. auction
    the public sale of something to the highest bidder
    He’d heard about the slave auctions, where they’d be lined up like animals. Buyers would check their teeth and their feet. There was little chance that he and Birdie would be sold to the same owner.
  23. hobble
    walk unevenly due to pain, injury, or weakness
    Even Lester was there, though he was hobbling and in obvious pain.
  24. glint
    be shiny, as if wet
    He stood for a moment, his hand steady, the pistol glinting in the sun.
  25. churning
    (of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence
    He turned and hurled the pistol into the churning waters of the nearby stream, which swept it away.
  26. brace
    prepare for something unpleasant or difficult
    Thomas braced himself for more shots.
  27. billow
    rise and move, as in waves
    But soon there was thundering in the distance, and great clouds of black and white smoke billowing in the sky.
  28. grim
    causing dejection
    The fighting had ended for the day, and at first, the news about the day’s fighting seemed grim: The Union troops had been badly outnumbered. They had lost thousands of soldiers.
  29. ragged
    being or dressed in clothes that are worn or torn
    Some men looked more ragged than Birdie’s doll.
  30. falter
    move hesitatingly, as if about to give way
    The horses faltered, struggling to get up a rocky stretch of the road.
  31. shard
    a broken piece of a brittle artifact
    And a tree right behind them shattered into a million shards of wood.
  32. gleam
    shine brightly, like a star or a light
    There were thousands of them—men in front on horseback, waving gleaming swords.
  33. assume
    take to be the case or to be true
    They had put him on a stretcher carefully, wondering how on earth this boy had gotten himself onto this battlefield, assuming he was a servant to one of the officers.
  34. blistering
    extremely hot
    The plantation in Mississippi had been a brutal place, where slaves were worked to the bone picking cotton in the blistering sun.
  35. vulture
    a large diurnal bird of prey feeding chiefly on carrion
    At first, most of the pictures had appeared in his nightmares: the wagon in flames, the vultures that had circled above the battlefield as he lay wounded, the glowing red eyes of the rebel who shot him.
Created on Tue Oct 17 09:10:21 EDT 2023 (updated Wed Oct 18 13:13:21 EDT 2023)

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