Rifles for Watie

Infobox Book |
name = Rifles for Watie
title_orig =
translator =


author = Harold Keith
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Historical, War novel
publisher = Thomas Y. Crowell
release_date = 1957
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 352 pp (hardback edition)
isbn = NA
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"Rifles for Watie" is an American children's novel by Harold Keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the Newbery Medal the following year.

Plot introduction

Set during the American Civil War, the plot revolves around Jefferson Davis Bussey who is sixteen and caught up in the events of history. Actual historical personages (e.g. Generals Stand Watie and James G. Blunt) and battles (e.g. Wilson's Creek and Prairie Grove) are seen from the viewpoint of an ordinary soldier, enabled by the choice of protagonist. Harold Keith spent many years interviewing Civil War veterans and visiting the sites depicted in the book, resulting in an authenticity that is rare for historical fiction that targets a young adult audience.

The setting, west of the Mississippi, is also not typical of Civil War novels, so the reader gets a perspective on the war not generally available in other books, let alone one found in children's books.

Plot summary

Jeff marches off to Fort Leavenworth from Linn County, Kansas in 1861, on his way to join the Union volunteers. He's off to fight for the North; his zeal having been fueled by reaction to the guerilla war of "bushwhackers" that was taking place in eastern Kansas. However, Stand Watie is on the side of the South. We meet many soldiers and civilians on both sides of the war, including Watie's raiding parties, itinerant printer Noah Babbitt and, in Tahlequah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) the beautiful Cherokee girl, Lucy Washbourne.

Jeff's story is notable as he eventually winds up fighting for both the North and the South at different times during the conflict while making new friends on each side. It is also notable for the detailed depiction of contemporary Cherokee life in Indian Territory, including various tribal political factions. Keith portrays how Jeff Bussey, in the midst of huge conflicts, had to choose one side or another at various times and how this was not always as simple as it may seem in historical hindsight.

Characters in "Rifles for Watie"

*Jefferson (Jeff) Davis Bussey – the protagonist
*Lucy Washbourne – Jeff's love interest, a young Cherokee woman living in Tahlequah, Oklahoma (then Indian Territory)
*Lee Washbourne – Lucy's brother, a Confederate soldier and scout
*Noah Babbitt – an itinerant printer, older than Jeff, and a Union soldier.
*Stand Watie – historical character, the last Confederate general to surrender at the war's end.
*James G. Blunt – historical character, Union general who battled to control Indian Territory.
*David Gardner – Jeff's hometown friend who joins the Union Army with him.
*John Chadwick – Another of Jeff's hometown friends who joins the Union Army with him.
*Capt. Asa Clardy – Jeff's commanding officer in the Union Army, and a major antagonist against Jeff.
*Heifer Hobbs – company cook and mentor for Jeff in the Indian cavalry, a division of the Confederate States Army.

Main themes

Jeff learns about the destructiveness and waste of war. In this sense, the novel is very much in the tradition of Stephen Crane's "The Red Badge of Courage". The novel examines the issues, weapons (the Spencer rifle), and strategies of the western campaigns.

Awards and nominations

* Winner, 1958 Newbery Medal
* Notable Children's Books of 1957 (ALA)
* 1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award

Release details

*1957, USA, Thomas Y. Crowell, NY (ISBN NA), Pub date ? ? 1957, hardback (First edition)
*1960, UK, Oxford University Press (ISBN NA), Pub date ? ? 1960, hardback
*1974, UK, Oxford University Press (ISBN 0192720511), Pub date 20 June 1974, paperback
*1987, USA, Harper Trophy Books (ISBN 0-06-447030-X), Pub date ? September 1987, paperback reissue
*1987, USA, HarperCollins (ISBN 0694056138), Pub date ? June 1987, paperback reissue
*1991, UK, HarperCollins (ISBN 0-690-70181-0), Pub date ? June 1991, hardback reissue
*1991, UK, HarperCollins (ISBN 0-690-04907-2), Pub date ? December 1991, hardback reissue
*2004, USA, Thorndike Press (ISBN 0-7862-6896-4), Pub date 20 September 2004, hardback reissue (largeprint)

References

*cite book | title=Rifles for Watie | last=Keith | first=Harold | authorlink=Harold Keith | publisher=Thomas Y. Crowell | location=New York | edition=1st ed. | date=1957 | id=
*cite web | title=BookRags Study Guide on Rifles for Watie | last= | first= | work=BookRags Study Guides | url=http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-rifles-for-watie/ | date= | accessdate=2007-06-26
*cite book | title=Newbery and Caldecott Medal Books: 1956-1965 | last=Kingman | first=Lee (ed.) | publisher=Horn Book | location=Boston | date=1965

Footnotes