"Abner & Me" by Dan Gutman, Chapters 15–19

Young Stosh has time-traveled before…but this time he and his mom find themselves in the midst of the Battle of Gettysburg, searching for Abner Doubleday—a Civil War general. Stosh wants to find out for certain if Doubleday invented the game of baseball.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–9, Chapter 10, Chapters 11–14, Chapters 15–19
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. brainstorm
    a clear, often sudden understanding of a complex situation
    “I had a brainstorm when we were back at Gettysburg,” she told me, gesturing with her hands. “It came to me while you were playing baseball with those Union soldiers. The idea popped into my head that we could go back in time together and prevent President Lincoln from being assassinated!”
  2. obsessed
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    “I couldn’t sleep last night,” Mom said. “I was up until four o’clock in the morning figuring everything out. I couldn’t go to work today. This is more important.”
    “Mom, you’re obsessed!”
  3. derringer
    a pocket pistol of large caliber with a short barrel
    "...John Wilkes Booth arrived at 9:30 P.M.—one hour later. He had a single-shot derringer pistol and a hunting knife with him...."
  4. immobilize
    cause to be unable to move
    “How’s it work?”
    “You touch it against somebody and it sends two hundred thousand volts of electricity through their skin. Their muscles and nerves are immobilized for a few minutes. They’re confused and imbalanced. You zap somebody with one of these and believe me, they’ll be in no condition to assassinate anybody. It even works through clothing.”
  5. conspiracy
    a plot to carry out some harmful or illegal act
    “There have been rumors circulating that a conspiracy is afoot to kill the president,” Doubleday said as he grabbed Mom by the shoulder.
  6. preposterous
    inviting ridicule
    “I recall you were wearing a bizarre nurse’s uniform, and you could not name your regiment. And the boy here proposed some preposterous notion that I invented the game of baseball. Obviously, both of you are lunatics, and possibly dangerous. The president will thank me when he learns that I apprehended you. Perhaps I will finally be reinstated to my rightful command.”
  7. pandemonium
    a state of extreme confusion and disorder
    “The president has been shot!” people were shouting.
    In seconds, it was pandemonium. Women started screaming. Men started weeping. People started pushing, pointing, shoving, yelling, and bumping into each other.
  8. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    While Mom was arguing with the doctor, I turned around and saw the one thing I really did not want to see at that particular moment.
    Abner Doubleday.
    He looked groggy, staggering across the street like a drunk.
  9. backstop
    a structure to prevent a ball from traveling out of a field
    The next pitch sailed over the catcher’s mitt and went all the way to the backstop.
  10. ricochet
    spring back; spring away from an impact
    I hit a rocket right at him. I wasn’t even out of the batter’s box when I saw him put his glove up, a millisecond too late. The ball bounced off his head and ricocheted about twenty feet straight up in the air.
  11. zinger
    a funny or amusing remark that takes a listener by surprise
    That bonk on the head must have scrambled his brains a little, preventing him from thinking up his usual clever zingers.
  12. contagious
    easily diffused or spread as from one person to another
    Sean Phillips got a single to start things off, and Gabe Radley doubled him home. Then Kit Clement drove Gabe in and suddenly we were just one run down. You could feel the excitement on the bench. We had a rally going. Hitting is contagious.
  13. aggravation
    an exasperated feeling of annoyance
    I didn’t want to hit the ball anywhere near Bobby Fuller. Not after what happened in the first inning. I just didn’t need that aggravation.
  14. skitter
    move about or proceed hurriedly
    I made contact, and hit a sharp grounder down the third-base line. I didn’t hit it hard by any means. Fuller dove for the ball, but he was an inch or two short. The ball skittered past him.
  15. sidle
    move sideways
    Coach Valentini sidled over to me.
    “Stosh,” he whispered in my ear, “loosen your belt.”
    “Huh?” I must have misinterpreted what he said.
    “I said loosen your belt. Take the buckle off.”
Created on Mon Feb 09 20:28:36 EST 2026 (updated Wed Feb 11 20:46:13 EST 2026)

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