This is a true story of survival during the American Civil War. It tells of the difficult life on a mid-nineteenth century Minnesota homestead for a mother and her three young children while her husband is away, having answered Lincoln's call for volunteers to help preserve the Union.
Away at War is based on one hundred letters the soldier wrote his family during his two years of service, which ended with his death at the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia.
The book opens with David Brainard Griffin's farewell to his family, along with his promise to return. Philinda Minerva and her children (Alice Jane, 7, Ida May, 5, and Edgar Lincoln, 9 months), are left to run the family farm on their own.
Minnesota's seasons dictate their activities during the cycle of fall harvest, winter withdrawal, spring planting, summer garden and haying, and a return to fall harvesting. Even with the help of nearby family and friends, the hardships and responsibilities are almost beyond them, but the only support Brainard can provide them is in the weekly letters he writes, and the small amounts of money he sends.
"Away at War introduces the reader to the terrible impact, the pain and anxiety, and the untold suffering war causes family members left behind. A moving chronicle of the experience of war and a compelling story with relevant historical references. Well-crafted, reads like a real piece of history!" - 5-Star Readers' Favorite Review
Nick K. Adams grew up in Los Angeles County and now lives in Lakewood, Washington, having retired from a career in elementary education. He continues to speak at schools, libraries, service clubs, and Civil War Round Tables, and is an avid Civil War re-enactor.
Publisher's website: http://sbprabooks.com/NickKAdams
