NAME _______________________________ PD.____
Elements of Historical Fiction (Lit. text pg. 194)
 Set during a real historical era
 Contains historically accurate details
 Includes fictional characters
 Often includes characters based on actual historical figures
Historical Data about the Battle of Shiloh (Lit. text pg. 195)
1. INFER: What advantage did the Confederate army have on the first day of fighting?
__________________________________________________________________________
2. INFER: What advantage did the Union army have on the second day of fighting?
__________________________________________________________________________
Data Bank for the Battle of Shiloh (Lit. text pg. 196)
3. It is always a good idea to consult more than one source when you’re researching a topic.
What does the Data Bank tell you that the Web Page does not?
a. ____________________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________________
“Drumbeats and Bullets” by Jim Murphy (Lit. text pg. 197-200)
1. What role did drummers play in the morning ritual of an army camp? _______________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. INFER: This twelve-year-old uses some slang words and phrases of his day.
a. Based on the context clues, can you guess what “Rebs” is short for? ______________
b. What is the “stick” he refers to? ___________________________________
3. What important role did the drummer boy play in battle?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. What other duties—besides drumming—did drummer boys perform?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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5. How old was Johnny Clem when he became a sergeant? ________
What circumstances led to his becoming a sergeant at such a young age? ______________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
6. List two of the factors that led to the disappearance of the drummer boy from the
battlefield.
a. ____________________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________________
7. Review this text, and note where the author quotes from primary sources—that is,
documents such as letters or interviews that give firsthand accounts of events. There are 3
paragraphs in which he uses primary texts in this story. Find these 3 examples and list the
paragraph numbers where you found them. Choose ONE of these examples to write in the
bubble below.
a. ___________
b. ___________
c. ___________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
After You Read “Drumbeats and Bullets” (Lit. text pg. 202)
1. Respond to “Drumbeats and Bullets” by completing the following sentence:
I was surprised to learn that…_________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
2. Based on the information in the encyclopedia article (page 195), was the Union general or
the Confederate general better prepared for the Battle of Shiloh? _____________________
Explain: __________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3. Review Johnny Clem’s story (see page 199). What conclusions can you draw about the
way boys were treated during the Civil War period? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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Are boys treated differently today? If so, how? ___________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4. The next selection you will read is Ray Bradbury’s fictional portrait of a drummer boy. To
evaluate the historical accuracy of Bradbury’s short story, fill out the “Drumbeats and
Bullets” column of the chart below. Consider what you’ve learned about the typical
drummer boy. (We will fill out the last column after reading that story.)
Comparing Fact and Fiction: The Drummer Boys
“Drumbeats and Bullets”
“The Drummer Boy of Shiloh”
Story genre
Age and background
Role in battle
Dangers faced
Attitude toward war
STOP HERE—Pages 1-3 are due
TOMORROW (Thurs. 9/4)!!!
We will do pages 4-5 in class tomorrow. 
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“The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” Reading Guide
by Ray Bradbury (Lit. text pg. 203-210)
First Thoughts
1. Respond to “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh” by completing the following sentence:
This story left me feeling…
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Thinking Critically (Restate in thoughtful, complete sentences)
2. Why is the boy so afraid? (What do the soldiers have that he does not have?)
3. After the Battle of Shiloh, the orchards and fields near Owl Creek were littered with the
bodies of more than 23,000 soldiers. Find the passages in which the general indicates that
he knows the battle will be a bad one. (mention in your response) Do you think the
drummer boy survives? Why or why not?
4. How do you think the writer wants you to feel about the drummer boy, the general, and
the war itself?
5. Trace the emotional state of the main character during this long conversation with the
general. What is his state of mind at the start of the story? What is his state of mind at the
end?
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6. In “How I Came to Write ‘The Drummer boy of Shiloh’” by Ray Bradbury, what prompted
his writing of the story?
Historical
Data
“Drumbeats &
Bullets”
“The Drummer
boy of Shiloh”
“How I Came to
Write the Story”
Fiction or
Nonfiction?
Author’s
Purpose?
Method of
Organization?
Theme or
Main Idea?
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