In 1862 Maryland, 13-year-old Ransom Powell watches his friends argue, then march off to war. Some put on gray uniforms, others wear blue. He is too young to fight, but when he hears a Union division in Virginia needs a drummer, he runs away from home and lies about his age. At first Ranse finds it thrilling to defend his country. His first skirmish changes that, however-suddenly war is more horrible than exciting. When his regiment is captured and taken to Camp Sumter, a Confederate prison ravaged by disease, he wonders if he will ever see home again. Relying on historical records, award-winning author G. Clifton Wisler bases this riveting novel on the life of an actual drummer boy.
