Rifles for Watie

March 26, 2020
Rifles for Watie Book Cover Rifles for Watie
Harold Keith
Historical Fiction
HarperTeen
April 15th, 1991
Hardcover
322
Library
1957
Middle Grade

Jeff Bussey walked briskly up the rutted wagon road toward Fort Leavenworth on his way to join the Union volunteers. It was 1861 in Linn County, Kansas, and Jeff was elated at the prospect of fighting for the North at last.

In the Indian country south of Kansas there was dread in the air; and the name, Stand Watie, was on every tongue. A hero to the rebel, a devil to the Union man, Stand Watie led the Cherokee Indian Nation fearlessly and successfully on savage raids behind the Union lines. Jeff came to know the Watie men only too well.

He was probably the only soldier in the West to see the Civil War from both sides and live to tell about it. Amid the roar of cannon and the swish of flying grape, Jeff learned what it meant to fight in battle. He learned how it felt never to have enough to eat, to forage for his food or starve. He saw the green fields of Kansas and Okla-homa laid waste by Watie's raiding parties, homes gutted, precious corn deliberately uprooted. He marched endlessly across parched, hot land, through mud and slashing rain, always hungry, always dirty and dog-tired.

And, Jeff, plain-spoken and honest, made friends and enemies. The friends were strong men like Noah Babbitt, the itinerant printer who once walked from Topeka to Galveston to see the magnolias in bloom; boys like Jimmy Lear, too young to carry a gun but old enough to give up his life at Cane Hill; ugly, big-eared Heifer, who made the best sourdough biscuits in the Choctaw country; and beautiful Lucy Washbourne, rebel to the marrow and proud of it. The enemies were men of another breed - hard-bitten Captain Clardy for one, a cruel officer with hatred for Jeff in his eyes and a dark secret on his soul.

This is a rich and sweeping novel-rich in its panorama of history; in its details so clear that the reader never doubts for a moment that he is there; in its dozens of different people, each one fully realized and wholly recognizable. It is a story of a lesser -- known part of the Civil War, the Western campaign, a part different in its issues and its problems, and fought with a different savagery. Inexorably it moves to a dramatic climax, evoking a brilliant picture of a war and the men of both sides who fought in it.

(via Goodreads)

 

I swear, 2020 is not interested in letting me have seamless buddy reads.

This buddy read with Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf was actually planned for a late December 2019 posting. The buddy read itself happened in November. With the holidays and Jane expecting her third child (Mazel Tov!!!) this buddy read posting was put to the side. Not forever, though! Now is the time!

I have done quite a few buddy reads with Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf. One of the things I appreciate most about reading with Jane is her very different perspective on literature. We often agree on ratings, but not on why we rated a book as such. This makes Jane a fun and reliable recommender of books. She lives a very different life from me and has very different views of the world. The fact that Jane and I can come together, read, and discuss always makes me a better person. I understand the universe a bit better after each of our interactions.

It’s also wonderful to participate in a buddy read with someone also working on the Great Newbery Quest! I am someone who learns best through interaction with others. Being able to discuss these Newbery winners with Jane (and others!) helps me better understand why these books won this prestigious award.

Jane and I exchanged 5 questions each, instead of the traditional 7, as Dani and I did last month. This will help with my 2020 goal to keep my posts a bit shorter. Instead of a typical book review, I’ve responded to her questions below.


 

Check out Jane’s Buddy Read review of Rifles for Watie on her blog!

 

Jane’s Questions

Jeff’s views on war change as he experiences war. What surprised you about his opinions or which of his opinions were most interesting to you? 

 

This is the WHOLE reason I love this book. Watching Jeff Bussey grow and change, and his opinions and perspective on war grow and change are brilliant. Keith does a wonderful job making these changes organic and believable. It’s easy to follow Jeff and get in his head.

There are three lessons Jeff learned which stuck with me:

  • Everyone is a person: When he ends up with Confederates for a while he doesn’t find evil.
  • War is hard: There is no glory to be found in battle.
  • War is complex: There is never just one reason for a war to begin.

Keith presents very difficult things to understand about wars in a way that is very accessible and never feels forced. Never once did I think, “Huh. Jeff Bussey is 16. There’s no way he could understand this.” I agree with all these lessons. I’m so thankful that there is an easy way to teach these lessons to young people.

If only I had read this as a child.

 

Friendship is at the heart of the story. Which of Jeff’s friendships seemed most important to you?

 

Far and away the most important friendship to this story was that of Noah Babbit. Babbit is older and wiser than Jeff. From the start, Noah is looking out for Jeff. At first, Jeff seems to resent the “old man’s” perspective. But as the war continues, Noah’s wisdom rubs off on Jeff. I honestly think Jeff survives the war only because of Noah’s lessons and watchful eye. Noah is also just an exceptional character. He’s the sort of friend I’d want in my life — so, perhaps I’m biased.

The friendship Jeff develops with Lucy is also important, though less critical. Jeff learns a lot about himself as he discovers his passion for Lucy Washbourne. He learns through her attentions what sort of man he wants to grow into being as well as what convictions matter to him. Without Lucy in his life, I think Jeff would have grown into a more gruff, aggressive soldier. And, relatedly, into a similar style man.

 

Were you surprised by how young Jeff (16-years-old at the start of the novel) or other soldiers are? How does their youth change the way you view the battles, death, and war overall in this novel?

 

No, I was not surprised by how young Jeff or the other soldiers were. You can be drafted at 18, and I’ve read both fictional and true accounts of students pretending to be older than their age to enlist in WWI and WWII. Why shouldn’t this happen during the Civil War?

I don’t think Jeff’s youth, or the youth of his peers, changed how I viewed the content. But it does impact how Keith wrote about these experiences. Seeing children dead in the fields, watching them do these horrible acts– Keith couldn’t have written such moving passages with fully-grown men. I appreciate how Jeff still recognizes the youth of himself and his peers during the war. Jeff’s eyes are open, and therefore the reader’s eyes are, too. The horrors of battle do not diminish in the eyes of youth seeking glory. They grow.

 

What do you think happens after the novel is over? Does Jeff go back for Lucy? Is he happy in Kansas?

 

I want to believe that Jeff does go back for Lucy, and that he is happy in Kansas. But I like not knowing what Jeff’s life turns into once he returns from war. It’s easy to imagine that Jeff takes over the family farm and raises his family there. But, honestly, the Civil War not only scarred his precious Kansas countryside, but also his mind. While it might be naieve to assume everything is puppies and rainbows for Jeff, it’s better than seeing what truly should have happened.

And, sadly, Keith would have known that. After interviewing as many Civil War Veterans as he did for this book (and his academic papers), he knew that going back to life as it was before the war was practically impossible for most men. It’s a children’s book with this ending. And ending of hope.

 

Why do you think this novel is titled Rifles for Watie?

 

This is the toughest question you’ve asked. I believe Keith felt that despite the episodic nature of Jeff Bussey’s time in the war, that the episodes related to Watie and the automatic action rifles he’s seeking are the most important. It’s during Jeff’s time behind Confederate lines that he sees that all men are the same, no matter what side they are on. If anything, the men with General Stand Watie are more loyal and dedicated than those on the Union side. It goes to show the importance of a good leader.

This is also the story arc that brings all the elements of Jeff’s life in the war to this point together. Jeff has to use all the skills he’s learned, he runs into all the people he saw earlier in the war, and he gets to wrap up each of those loose ends. The story about General Watie and his rifles ties Jeff’s story with a neat bow, giving Keith an opportunity to wrap up the whole book.

While the title Rifles for Watie is a bit misleading, I cannot think of a better title that would actually sell books. What else would Keith call this? Jeff Bussey’s War?

 


 

A few additional notes about my experience reading Rifles for Watie:

Rifles for Watie is an unexpectedly delightful novel about the western front of the American Civil War. I’ve never read about this side of the war. It’s obvious that Keith has spent hours and hours researching and carefully inserts this narrative. My favorite moments were always when Keith broke the 4th wall and spoke directly to the reader. It was during these moments I realized how much I had been learning.

Jefferson David Bussey, our protagonist, struggles from the start as his namesake is leading the battle on the other side. This simple fact illustrates immediately the disconnect between reasons wars are fought and the men who fight them. As mentioned above, there are so many wonderful lessons in these pages. I hope that a new generation finds Rifles for Watie book and learns great things from it.

Despite life getting in our way a few times, I couldn’t be happier Jane and I could connect for another buddy read. Thank you, Jane! It’s great to have a friend joining me on the Great Newbery Quest. And don’t forget to check out Jane’s post here.

Other Buddy Reads with Jane:

 

If you’re interested in seeing all the discussion questions, check out my Rifles for Watie discussion questions. All of my discussion questions can be found here.

If you’re interested in following my Great Newbery Quest progress, look here.


What do you think?

  • Have you read Rifles for Watie? What do you think of this book?
  • What are your favorite historical fiction novels set during the American Civil War?
  • Have you read any civil war novels focusing on the western front of the American Civil War?
  • Are you interested in participating in a buddy read with me?

 

5 Comments

  • Grab the Lapels March 27, 2020 at 10:05 am

    It’s always so sad to me when I try and think about what happens to a character after the novel is over! Either I assume it’s all disaster and feel bad, or I imagine a nice, happy ending and then chide myself for trying to make everything all better and I feel bad.

    • Jackie B March 29, 2020 at 4:15 pm

      Hahaha. Oh, Melanie. You’re so wonderful. I try to be realistic. In this case, there is definitely PTSD to worry about — but I think that’s why Keith left the book so open ended. He didn’t want to tackle this difficult topic with such a young audience after they’ve already been through so much.

  • Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf March 28, 2020 at 12:58 pm

    Such a delight to buddy read with you, my friend! Thanks for your kind words. And I’m impressed we finally got around to our reviews 🙂

    I love your thoughts especially on the title. It’s true–I can’t think of another title that is better suited. And perhaps the story arc does lend itself well to that title.

    And I love your thoughts on the ending of the book. I nearly always want to know more about what happens after the story than we are given in a novel. But I agree that the message of hope is a nice ending especially with it being a children’s story. Perhaps that hope mingled with the trauma of war is what makes wartime literature so interesting. How do you continue life after you experience such horror and your world view is opened to so much more through experience? I am not sure I know of an answer that works for everyone in every situation. So literature helps us at least seek answers to questions like that.

    Looking forward to our next buddy read adventure!

    • Jackie B March 29, 2020 at 5:17 pm

      We did! Though I didn’t end up answering my own questions which was just silly. ‍♀️ I completely forgot ! XD

      🙂 I too, am looking forward to our next buddy read adventure. Here’s to many more wonderful book selections!

      • Jane @ Greenish Bookshelf March 30, 2020 at 3:16 pm

        Haha you can answer any of the questions you want to 😉 That’s too funny!

        Yes, hoping we find more hidden gems especially in these older Newberys.

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