Helen Plum Library

Caroline and Jacob Hammond live with their daughter Rachel on a farm just outside of Gettysburg. Jacob joins the Northern army to do his duty, and Caroline gets news that he is wounded and has been taken to Washington, DC, with his regiment. When Jacob succumbs to his injuries she brings his body home--on the eve of the deadliest battle of the war. Troops and looters roam the countryside, and Caroline must fight to protect those she holds most dear....

This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg than any piece of learned nonfiction on the same subject. Michael Shaara's account of the three most important days of the Civil War features deft characterizations of all of the main actors, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book, however, is Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine regiment of volunteers held the Union's left...

"It's 1863, and Thomas and his little sister, Birdie, have fled the farm where they were born and raised as slaves. Following the North Star, looking for freedom, they soon cross paths with a Union soldier. Everything changes: Corporal Henry Green brings Thomas and Birdie back to his regiment, and suddenly it feels like they've found a new home. Best of all, they don't have to find their way north alone--they're marching with the army. But then orders...