An American Civil War story about a fourteen year old named James Breckinridge who joins the Confederacy, and then makes the mistake of bringing along one of his slaves - a slave he grew up with who also happens to be his friend. The soldiers around him think he's too chummy with this slave, so they don't trust him, and things get so bad James eventually ends up joining the Union side. No surprise, he isn't fully trusted there, either. James will do a great deal of fighting, much of it incredibly brutal, but he won't be alone. The reader will experience all the terror, gore and heartbreak, described in disturbingly realistic detail, right along with him. Just as it was in real life, the violence grows increasingly more intense as the war progresses. Unlike a history book, no lengthy descriptions of all the regiments involved or the various strategies the generals employed are provided. Each battle is described strictly from the viewpoint of one soldier, James Breckinridge, and the vast majority of what he describes actually happened. Through this process, the reader will develop a much clearer understanding of what the individual soldiers went through, and why the American Civil War had to be fought. Oh yeah, they'll also get a pretty good seat on a rather entertaining ride.