John Henry's War
Larry W. Anderson, Julie L. Casey
Paperback
(Amazing Things Press, Feb. 5, 2016)
John Henry Callahan has grown up on his family’s prosperous farm near Lewistown, Illinois, as the country is moving toward inevitable civil war. John Henry has been deeply influenced by an early experience with two young runaway slaves who were captured and brought into Quincy, Illinois by a bounty hunter. When he witnesses the strong reaction of his father to their treatment, John Henry’s anti-slavery beliefs are set forever. When war breaks out, John Henry is ready to do his part, but his enlistment is delayed by his youth, his mother’s fears, and his father’s need to keep him at home to work the farm. John Henry is also reluctant to leave behind Nancy, the girl he loves, but when the time is right, John Henry knows he can wait no longer. John Henry is no hero, but he is an honorable man who becomes a leader in the tightly knit group of young men in his company. Together, they enter battle at a place called Shiloh. After that, nothing is the same.