Mr.+Lincolns+drummer


 * The information below is partially extracted from Wikipedia and was posted by Dharma Parmanto **

**Book title** : Mr. Lincoln's Drummer  
 * Author ** : [|G. Clifton Wisler]
 * Summary ** : This story is about a drummer boy named Willy Johnston who is the son of a tailor and lived in the time of the American civil war. It was a really brutal time in history and most of Willy’s friends die. This is how it all began. One day there was a soldier parade in Willy's hometown, Vermont. The soldiers were the Union army who were going into battle with the confederate. At that time Abraham Lincoln, the President, wants to abolish slavery in the United States, but the people from the south didn’t like that so they formed a new contry, called the Confederate States of America, and rebelled against the union. Later on Willy’s dad introduced Colonel Hide to Willy and his big brother James. Colonel Hide gave orders to Willy’s mom to fix and sew new uniforms for the army. Willy’s job was to deliver the uniforms to the army. That was where he met a drummer who taught him how to play the beats for different assemblies. Soon after that, Captain Harrington, from the Union army, came to Willy’s town to recruit more soldiers. He had speeches every day but they didn’t attract much attention. So, Willy volunteered to beat his drum to get the people’s attention. Willy learned that if he joined the army his family would get the money they needed. So, Willy and his dad joined the army. In the beginning, it wasn't much to be a soldier, but later on Wily was caught in a real battle and even though he saw many people die he didn't want to go home. What happened at the end? Did Willy survive the war? If you want to find out more about Willy’s amazing adventure in the army and in what situation he met Mr. Lincoln in person, read the book.
 * Time period of novel ** : This story takes place in 1861-1862.
 * Political situation ** : This story takes place during the [|civil war] led by President Abraham Lincoln. At that time [|Abraham Lincoln] wants to abolish slavery in the U.S., but the people from the south didn’t agree so they rebelled against the union.
 * Economic issues ** : People were struggling to survive but they had just enough food to eat. Most of the people were very poor.
 * Social issues ** : The war was a big problem for everybody and many people went to join the army because their families needed money and the army pays a lot.
 * Forces in society ** : There were some leaders with power in the community that were not in the legitimate government, and they are the confederate.
 * Terms and vocabulary of the time ** : Here are some words from that time period that we do not use anymore. 1. To soldier (to be a soldier), 2. Gumption (nerve) and 3. Clambered (To climb with difficulty).
 * About the Civil War ** : The American Civil War (1861–1865) was between the Union (Northern States) and the Confederates (Southern States). Eleven Southern states declared their secession from the United States and formed the confederate states of America (the Confederacy). Led by Jefferson Davis, they fought against the United States (the Union), which was supported by all the Free states and the five Border states. The Union states were loosely referred to as "the North." The main character in the story, Willie Johnston, is from Vermont. Vermont is one of the North-eastern states shown in the picture below. That is why Willy is on Mr. Lincoln’s side.

In the picture above Dark blue = Union states, light blue = Union territories, gray = Kansas entered Union as a Free State, yellow = Union Border States that permitted slavery, red = The Confederacy, gold = Union territories that permitted slavery. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">On the left side is [|Jefferson Davis], the only President of the [|Confederate States of America] (1861-1865). On the right side is Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America (1861-1865). On the left side is [|Robert E. lee], the highest ranked officer in the Confederate States of America. On the right side is the cover of the book I read called “Mr. Lincoln’s Drummer.” <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">