Rifles for Watie

Winner of the Newbery Medal * An ALA Notable Children’s Book * Winner of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

A captivating and richly detailed novel about one young soldier who saw the Civil War from both sides and lived to tell the tale.

Earnest, plain-spoken sixteen-year-old Jeff Bussey has finally gotten his father’s consent to join the Union volunteers. 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.

But 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. When he finds himself among enemy troops, he’ll have to put his life on the line to advance the Union cause.

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).

A strong choice for independent reading and for sharing in a classroom and for homeschooling. As a homeschool cooperative teacher commented: "The book has launched many discussions in our class. When a person is on one side of a conflict, it is important to remember that people on the other side are also people. Jeff is a perfect model for how treating people with respect can happen even in war." 

But what happens when his secret mission forces him to live among the enemy, blurring the lines between friend and foe?
Behind Enemy Lines: After being separated from his unit, young Jeff Bussey must survive by posing as a Confederate soldier, testing his loyalty and his courage.A Coming of Age Story: Experience the brutal realities of war through Jeff’s eyes as he transforms from an idealistic boy into a pragmatic young man who understands the humanity on both sides.The War's Western Front: Explore the lesser-known history of the Civil War in Kansas, Arkansas, and the Cherokee Nation, where loyalties were divided and Native American soldiers fought for both North and South.Meticulously Researched History: Based on firsthand accounts and diaries of Civil War veterans, this Newbery Medal-winning novel brings a forgotten chapter of American history to life.