I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863: Chapters 1–6

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
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ammunition
    projectiles to be fired from a gun
    Thomas had come to bring the men more ammunition for their rifles.
  2. stagger
    walk with great difficulty
    He staggered across a field, coughing and gagging.
  3. rebel
    a person who takes part in an armed insurrection
    And through the blood and smoke was a terrifying sight: hundreds of rebel soldiers charging across the meadow, their rifles pointed right at him.
  4. snare
    catch in or as if in a trap
    Thomas was just about to snare the squirrel when his little sister’s voice sang out.
  5. mush
    any soft or soggy mass
    But then there she was, with her crooked grin and twiggy legs, rushing toward him. His heart turned to mush.
  6. grimy
    thickly covered with ingrained dirt
    That was Birdie: Give her a grimy little snake, and she’d see a butterfly.
  7. streak
    move quickly in a straight line
    They watched as the creature streaked away, disappearing into the shadows of the forest.
  8. plantation
    an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale
    And two summers ago their cousin Clem had been sold away to a plantation down in Mississippi, where slaves were worked half to death.
  9. searing
    intense or sharp
    Just thinking about Clem gave Thomas a searing pain, even worse than the lash of Mr. Knox’s whip.
  10. practically
    almost; nearly
    Their dogs were vicious and as big as mules. Thomas could practically smell the stink of their hot breath, hear their snapping jaws, and feel their teeth ripping into his flesh.
  11. loom
    hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
    Danger seemed to be everywhere—looming in the trees, glowing in the eyes of the night creatures peering from bushes.
  12. bank
    sloping land, especially the slope beside a body of water
    Just up the bank was a fallen tree with some soft ground on one side and a leafy bush on the other—a perfect hiding spot.
  13. bellow
    shout loudly and without restraint
    “We see you there!” a man’s voice bellowed.
  14. snarl
    utter in an angry, sharp, or abrupt tone
    “Come out now,” another voice snarled. “Or we’ll shoot you.”
  15. steady
    marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
    “They won’t hurt us, Birdie,” Thomas whispered, praying this was true, trying to keep his voice steady.
  16. straggle
    go, come, or spread in a rambling or irregular way
    One of them was very tall, with a straggly beard. The other was skinny with a bushy brown mustache.
  17. rustling
    a light noise, like leaves blowing in the wind
    There was a rustling in the tree the men stood beside.
  18. matted
    tangled in a dense mass
    His face was smudged with dirt, and his tangled brown hair was matted with leaves.
  19. crane
    stretch, so as to see better
    He craned his neck so he could keep an eye on the soldiers.
  20. clamp
    fasten with or as with a device that holds things tightly
    Its sharp teeth almost clamped down on Thomas’s cheek.
  21. rein
    one of a pair of long straps used to control a horse
    They grabbed for the reins, dodging the horses’ flying hooves.
  22. corporal
    a noncommissioned officer in the armed forces
    More soldiers!
    “Corporal Green!” a voice boomed.
  23. rasp
    speak in a harsh, grating voice
    “It was the rebels, Captain Campbell,” the bloodied soldier—Corporal Green—rasped.
  24. cavalry
    troops trained to fight on horseback
    They were on horseback...cavalry, I think.
  25. bugle
    a brass instrument without valves
    The bugle blared reveille, and Thomas sat up with a start.
  26. reveille
    a signal, usually a bugle call, to get up in the morning
    The bugle blared reveille, and Thomas sat up with a start.
  27. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    In her hands was a little doll Henry had made for her, a tattered sock stuffed with straw, with two cracked buttons as eyes.
  28. clutch
    hold firmly, usually with one's hands
    From the way Birdie clutched it to her heart, you’d think it was made of gold.
  29. groggy
    stunned or confused and slow to react
    A few early-rising soldiers stood groggily and shaved in front of mirrors hung from tree branches.
  30. regiment
    army unit smaller than a division
    There were more than six hundred men here, Henry had explained, just one regiment of the huge Union army.
  31. formation
    an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit
    He woke up in the morning looking forward to the day—to helping the men with their chores, listening to their stories, and watching them practice their battle formations and shooting.
  32. patient
    enduring trying circumstances with even temper
    He really did remind Thomas of Clem, the way his voice rose up when he told stories about the children he taught in his Vermont schoolhouse, his patient way of listening when Thomas told him about his life with Mr. Knox, the feeling Thomas got when they were together, that he and Birdie were safe.
  33. scamper
    run or move about quickly or lightly
    She nodded happily and scampered off toward the supply wagons, chattering hellos to every soldier she passed.
  34. weary
    physically and mentally fatigued
    Thomas noticed that even the weariest men looked up and smiled when Birdie breezed by, their faces lighting up as though Birdie herself were a bright candle.
  35. serious
    concerned with work or important matters rather than play
    Henry turned to Thomas, his face serious.
    “We’ve gotten our orders,” Henry said. “We’re to march out today.”
Created on Tue Oct 17 09:09:56 EDT 2023 (updated Tue Oct 17 10:07:25 EDT 2023)

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