The following collection of thematically related readings is available in Across Five Aprils and Related Readings in McDougal Littell's Literature Connections series.

Prison Bars and the Surgeon's Saw by Jim Murphy
(from The Boys' War, © 1990)
Summary: A nonfiction account that details the fears of young soldiers during the Civil War.

The Mysterious Mr. Lincoln by Russell Freedman
(from Lincoln: A Photobiography, © 1987)
Summary: An excerpt from a biography that offers a perspective of an unappreciated president.

"The Gettysburg Address"
Summary: Abraham Lincoln's famous speech.

"The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" by Ray Bradbury
(from The Saturday Evening Post, © 1960)
Summary: A short story about a man-boy waiting for battle.

"Around the Campfire" by Andrew Hudgins
(from After the Lost War, © 1988)
Summary: A Civil War poem.

"The Huts at Esquimax" by Norman Dubie
(from The Springhouse, © 1986)
Summary: A poem about the winners and losers after the battle.

"The Sniper" by Liam O' Flaherty
(from The Short Stories of Liam O'Flaherty)
Summary: A short story that asks: who is the enemy in a civil war?

Excerpts from Voices from the Civil War by Milton Meltzer, © 1989
Summary: Letters collected from the Civil War by Milton Meltzer offer a first-hand look at the ravages of the battlefield.