R.J. thought that war would be the ultimate adventure—until he was in the middle of it.

In 1862, thirteen-year-old Ransom J. Powell lies about his age and joins the Union Army as a drummer boy. At first, he is thrilled to be defending his country, but by the time he has been in his first skirmish he sees war for the brutal horror that it is. Then he and his regiment are captured and taken to Camp Sumter, a Confederate prison. With its disease and cruel guards, Camp Sumter is worse than any battlefield, and Ransom watches is friends die one by one. Will he be next?

"A sober but important contribution to the growing number of Civil War novels."—Booklist

"Vibrant characters and realistic war and prison scenes combine to make [this] a compelling book."—School Library Journal