Chapters 1-4 Summary

This novel is set during the Civil War, beginning just months before the Battle of Gettysburg. The Confederates were winning most of the battles in the beginning of the war and they would have been able to declare victory within days of winning at Gettysburg. Therefore, the Battle of Gettysburg is considered the turning point of the Civil War as it would prove to be in the life of the hero of this novel, Homer P. Figg.

Chapter 1. Homer and his brother Harold have been living with their uncle since their mother's death eight years ago. The boys dislike their uncle because he is unkind to them and forces them to live in the barn. One day, the uncle catches Homer eating a piece of bread from the slop meant for the pigs. The uncle moves to hit Homer, but Harold...