Young Heroes of Gettysburg Book

Two young Indiana soldiers participate in the battle of Gettysburg; one is wounded and forced to rely on the help of two young women living in Gettysburg.

Children's Literature

Johnny, Sam, and Ben are soldiers in the Union army. At Gettysburg they see comrades blown away, shot in the head and a deserter killed by a firing squad. Johnny loses a limb; Ben is wounded, hides in an attic and is cared for by a woman and her daughter; Sam continues fighting while comrades fall and Confederates overrun the town. The two girls in the story are curious about the conflict and then horrified upon seeing the bloody remains of boys their own age when they bring water and food to the wounded. Often we remember the battle but don't realize the impact the war had on the people in the town—the women and children and how they dealt with the fear and the remains of the battle, how they bathed the wounded, hid the survivors and fed the soldiers. William Venner bases his story on diaries of an Indiana soldier and a Gettysburg teenager. The drama and emotions of the characters could be more compelling, but the author's notes and old photos add to the authenticity of the story. 2000, White Mane Publishing, $8.95. Ages 9 to 12. Reviewer: Janet L. Rose