Review Detail

I've always been fascinated with the Civil War so I was excited to find a teen's eyewitness account of the war. Tillie Pierce and her family lived in the town of Gettysburg right before and during the war. Her journal accounts are woven throughout this book. The photos and illustrations add to the horror that a fifteen year old must have witnessed during that time.

There is a lot to recommend about this non-fiction historical book which includes the interesting tidbits throughout. We're shown the instruments doctors used during that time. Chances were very slim a wounded soldier lived. There's a poster warning of kidnappings due to the Fugitive Slave Act which made it legal for anyone to 'capture' runaway slaves. What's chilling is that not only slaves but free Blacks had to fear for their safety. Also there are some photos of what new owners in 1990 found when restoring a couple of these houses that verify what Tillie wrote in her journal.

I loved reading this eyewitness account to one of the most horrific wars that took place on US soil. It shows the bravery, courage, and even spunk of this teen.

Haunting as well as fascinating account of the horror of war told through the eyes of teen who lived in the town while it happened.