RIFLES FOR WATIE

RIFLES FOR WATIE by Harold Keith

Newberry Medal winner Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith is one of those war books that pleasantly surprise you.

It's not a normal happening in our homeschool that we finish up a Civil War book, and my 10th grade daughter looks at me and says, "I wish we could read it again," but it did with this one. (The book is on the shelf where her soul can drink from it anytime she wants!)

Rifles For Watie is the story of sixteen-year-old Jefferson Davis Bussey, and his time fighting for the Union. Just his name, alone, is a story in itself is it not? Bussey finds himself in the throes of battle losing friends, starving, marching long distances, etc. But then he joins up with his enemy, Waite's Men, as a spy. As he spends time with the rebels he discovers their humanness. They are men with families and loved ones just like the Union soldiers. In fact, he comes to form friendships with some of them. The internal struggle is real, but a decision has to be made. Where do his loyalties lie? Excellent read!