Eleven-year-old Willie Johnston is the youngest soldier to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. According to this outstanding fictionalized account, Willie got into the Union army Òby accident.Ó His courageous participation in McClellan's Seven Day Campaign on the Virginia Peninsula was no accident however, but the result of tremendous determination. His experiences are typical to those of other young drummer boys who experienced the Civil War firsthand. Wisler's commitment to truth is evident through his extensive research. Recounts the courageous exploits of Willie Johnston, an eleven-year-old Civil War drummer, who became the youngest recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor

Willie might be too young to be a fighter, but he's brave enough to be a drummer.

Ten-year-old Willie Johnston is too young to be a soldier in Mr. Lincoln's army. So he joins as a drummer boy, instead. Part of Willie's job is rousing the troops in the morning with his drum—the other part is being the last to retreat in battles. In this true story, Willie shows he's brave enough to keep beating his drum, but will he be lucky enough to survive the war?

"Scrupulously researched and overflowing with evocative detail . . . Willie's tale is authentic and engaging."—Kirkus Reviews