These oral histories captured the large and small personal sacrifices of war.

Between the years of 19 he visited with twenty two veterans and listened to their nostalgic reminiscing. To personalize it even further, he used interviews conducted for his thesis. Keith used diaries, journals, and personal letters to give Rifles for Watie first person authenticity. Right or wrong, all of these issues collide. Poverty, wealth, prejudice, pride, religion, gender, tribal feuding, slavery, freedom. Keith visited actual battle locations to get a sense of the varying conflicts and not just the well known ones related to violent battle. One of the most interesting aspects of Rifles for Watie is that it is told from the perspective of multiple groups in and around the American civil war of April 1861 - April 1865. Jeff is a perfect model for how treating people with respect can happen even in war.' Read more When a person is on one side of a conflict, it is important to remember that people on the other side are also people. As a homeschool cooperative teacher commented: 'The book has launched many discussions in our class. Thoroughly researched and based on firsthand accounts, Rifles for Watie “should hold a place with the best Civil War fiction for young people” ( The Horn Book).Ī strong choice for independent reading and for sharing in a classroom and for homeschooling.

When he finds himself among enemy troops, he’ll have to put his life on the line to advance the Union cause. It’s 1861 in Linn County, Kansas, and Jeff is eager to fight for the North before the war is over, which he’s sure will be soon.īut weeks turn to months, the marches through fields and woods prove endless, hunger and exhaustion seem to take up permanent residence in Jeff’s bones, and he learns what it really means to fight in battle-and to lose friends. Winner of the Newbery Medal * An ALA Notable Children’s Book * Winner of the Lewis Carroll Shelf AwardĪ captivating and richly detailed novel about one young soldier who saw the Civil War from both sides and lived to tell the tale.Įarnest, plain-spoken sixteen-year-old Jeff Bussey has finally gotten his father’s consent to join the Union volunteers.

Rifles for Watie by Harold Keith