The Littlest Rebel

The troubles of the War Between the States come home to a little plantation girl nicknamed Virgie when her father is arrested and charged with espionage against the Yankees.

In The Littlest Rebel, the basis of the classic Shirley Temple movie, there's a message of familial love and perseverance as well as a celebration of the Old South's genteel ways

“The appeal of children on the stage is not easy to resist; and it is to the very charming acting of a little girl named Juliet Shelby that the success of Mr. Edward Peple’s old fashioned and pleasing melodrama, called ‘The Littlest Rebel,’ must mainly be ascribed. Set in Virginia in the last year of the Civil War….Mr. Peple is to be congratulated on writing a Civil War play in which there is neither a Northern officer in love with a Southern girl nor a Southern officer in love with a Northern girl. ‘The Littlest Rebel’ is, of course, a sentimental composition; but Mr. Peple shows a very pretty tact in setting forth that sweet, alluring sentiment which makes us follow easily the leading of a little child.” -Everybody's Magazine, Volume 26, 1912

“The scene of this exquisite little masterpiece is laid in the South during the Civil War. Here the North and South meet, and “Virgie” stands between them; a rare little heroine. There is a pathos and humor in this story that will be appreciated by every reader. It is truly a book for young and old. Mr. Peple has written a story that is a joy to all, and “Virgie” will be the most talked about young lady of the season.” -Publishers Weekly