The author, harold keith interviewed, many civil war veterans living in oklahoma and found that he had enough information to write a historical novel. Another challenge the jeff had was his long distance relationship with lucy. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are. Free download or read online sharpes rifles pdf epub richard sharpe chronological order series book. My students need 25 copies of rifles for watie to use for a wholeclass literature study unit exploring characters, theme and the historical context of the novel. Jeff eavesdropped on their conversation and found out that they bought gold and were going to buy repeating rifles with it. Rifles for watie is an american childrens novel by harold keith.
There is suspense in the telling and many a colorful character. The book also includes characters based on real historical figuresmost notably, general stand watie, after whom the novel is named. Edith bussey is the mother of the main character in rifles for watie, jeff. Little did he know he would become a union spy posing as a confederate soldier to discover a dire conspiracy between the south and yankee traitors.
Believable characters and vivid battle scenes burst from the. Rifles for watie, 1957 abebooks shop for books, art. Thoroughly researched and based on firsthand accounts, rifles for watie should hold a place with the best civil war fiction for young people the horn book. Set in the western front of the civil war, rifles for watie tells about the kansas and missouri bushwackers loathed by the north and south alike and the cherokee troops that split and fought against each other throughout the war.
Lincoln had laid down in his speech at leavenworth. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like identity and blurred lines in the civil war and hunger and the power of food. Jeff bussey walked up the road towards fort leavenworth, on his way to join the union army volunteers. A hero to the rebel, a devil to the union man, stand watie. Who are edith bussey, ring, and mary in rifles for watie. Free download or read online rifles for watie pdf epub book. The young mens book club ymbc is scheduled for saturday, october 31, 2009 for their study of rifles for watie by harold keith. Rifles for watie arkosh fiction download free ebook now. In the book rifles for watie by harold keith, jefferson davis bussey is faced with many challenges one of the challenges that he faces is the bushwhackers who steal things from people.
May 19, 2015 rifles for watie ebook written by harold keith. This character turns out to be a traitor to the entire union side since heshe is the officer corrupt enough to sell the repeating rifles to. When jeff bussey of linn county, kansas, joined union volunteers, he could not foresee that he would be an. Noah babbitt an itinerant printer, older than jeff, and a union. Study guides for the same book are often available from several publishers, so we found it more efficient to give a description of the book only once. Rifles for watie is a childrens novel by american writer harold keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the newbery medal the following year set during the american civil war, the plot revolves around the fictional sixteenyearold jefferson davis bussey, who is caught up in the events of history. This is the story of a little cat who came to the home of a poor japanese artist, and, by humility and devotion, brought him good fortune. Rifles for watie is about a young man who is living in thecivil war era.
I recalled once reading rifles for watie by harold keith when i was a kid probably over my summer vacation. In writing rifles for watie, american author harold keith did extensive research about the civil war and how the war varied from state to state and region to region. Rifles for watie was faithfully written against the historical. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 303 pages and is available in paperback format.
Rifles for watie 1987 read online free book by harold keith. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 352 pages and is available in paperback format. Jeff busseys flight on foot from boggy depot to fort gibson had its actual counterpart. Mean leader, was a traitor ans old automatic rifles to watie s troops. This fulllength junior novel should hold a place with the best civil. An overview and plot summary of rifles for watie by harold keith. Explosion from movie glory rifles for watie book trailer, marques book trailer for the book rifles for watie, by harold keith for issues, i do not own any of the music, videos, or photos. Jeff begins his journey against the backdrop of the civil war, when he starts out in 1861 as an invincible, anxious, courageous, and loyal 16yearold boy, who evolves into a more selfcontrolled, wise, and patient man. More importantly, the way the main character was written gave me a new perspective on. The best thing about this book is it gives us a lookinto both sides of the war and is very informative about the ideas andfeelings that were going on at the time of the civil war. I am happy to report rifles for watie still turns my crank.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Rifles for watie by harold keith learning through literature. She is from kentucky, but has come to live in kansas, where her husband emory has bought a farm. Rifles for watie is a historical fiction book written by harold keith. This study guide consists of approximately 82 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of rifles for watie. Rifles for watie, after all, isnt an historical novel in the sense that keith drops some modernday characters into a vaguely historical context. It is from the book rifles for wati in chapters, 14. These activities can be used at any time during the unit at your. Pdf sharpes rifles book richard sharpe chronological.
Characters in rifles for watie jefferson jeff davis bussey the protagonist lucy washbourne jeffs love interest, a young cherokee woman living in tahlequah, oklahoma then indian territory lee washbourne lucys brother, a confederate soldier. Winner of the newbery medal an ala notable childrens book winner of the lewis carroll shelf award. They already had 12 and were going to but 200 more. Rifles for watie tlp guide and book rainbow resource center. Boudinot whom jeff was escorting was watie s nephew. Nov 19, 2011 having read many of the winning books, i can safely say that this is one of the better ones.
Rifles for watie harold keith winner of the newbery medal author s note few americans know how savagely the civil war raged or how strange and varied were its issues in what is now oklahoma and the neighboring states of kansas, missouri, and arkansas. Lucy washbourne jeffs love interest, a young woman living in tahlequah, oklahoma then indian territory lee washbourne lucys. Harold keith young jeff is a union farmer who has high hopes of becoming a soldier in the civil war. Rifles for watie starts out with an authors note that explains the historical research and interviews that harold keith conducted in order to make the book as realistic as possible. The characters, aside from stand watie and others, are not real but are representations of many who fought. Cherokee nation, mabel washbourne andersons the life of general stand watie, and bell irvin wileys the life of billy yank and the life of johnny reb. Rifles for watie holds up remarkably well on this front. Historian and former ou sports information director harold keith actually makes history fun for teenagers with this awardwinning tale, as rifles for waitie gives readers a full account of the brutal civil war campaign in the indian territories of the frontier.
During the civil war a boy named jeff decides to join the union side battling the confederates. Rifles for watie by harold keith young mens book club blog. But is it magical enough to help her pig, timmy, win a blue ribbon on fair. Lucy washbourne jeffs love interest, a young woman living in tahlequah. This story takes place in the ozarks region kansas, missouri, olkahoma. Rifles for watie by harold keith is about jeff bussey a sixteen year old farm boy from kansas. Despite the intended audience, this book is every bit as interesting for an adult reader. Rifles for watie by harold keith readaloud revival. He wished the missouri bushwhackers would live by the rule mr. In the indian country south of kansas there was dread in the air. Class novels rifles for watie donorschoose project by mrs. It was 1861 in linn county, kansas, and jeff was elated at the prospect of fighting for the north at last.
Perhaps his best known story, the historical novel rifles for watie, was first released in 1957. A young farmboy joins the united forces, becomes a scout, and thus is temporarily part of stand watie s cherokee rebels. Jeff signs up to be a soldier in battle but throughout the book learns all the horrors that come with. Jeff bussey sees the civil war from both sides and lives to tell about it. A mixed cherokee who commanded a small tough band of rebel calvarymen. Rifles for watie character descriptions for teachers. The setting, west of the mississippi, is also not typical of civil war novels. It was only after he found himself in enemy territory with watie s men that jeff learned the bitter truth about the source of watie s access to the repeating rifles.
This fulllength junior novel should hold a place with the best civil war fiction for young people. A captain in the union army, formerly a soldier in the mexican war. Rifles for watie will be an excellent addition to our schools library. Deciding he might someday write a historical novel, he interviewed twentytwo civil war veterans then living in oklahoma and arkansas. In the country south of kansas there was dread in the air. Rifles for watie was named an ala notable childrens book and won the lewis carroll shelf award. Who was supplying rebel leader watie, the christian indian who had galvanized the cherokee indian nation into organized raids behind union lines in kansas and oklahoma, with repeating rifles.
A young farmboy joins the united forces, becomes a scout, and thus is temporarily part of stand. The first edition of the novel was published in 1957, and was written by harold keith. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read rifles for watie. Rifles for watie is a book about the civil war that is written for school age readers. Buy a cheap copy of rifles for watie book by harold keith.
Rifles for watie by harold keith and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. These activities can be used at any time during the unit at your discretion, but you will probably want to use several of the shorter writing. Originally an infantry private but later his whole company is trained as cavalrymen. The author, harold keith interviewed, many civil war veterans living in oklahoma and found that he had enough information to write a. But neither side had heeded lincolns gentle advice. This rifles for watie study guide grades 68 is designed to be used with the novel rifles for waite by harold keith, which is not included and must be obtained separately. The first edition of the novel was published in 1988, and was written by bernard cornwell.
Rifles for watie taught me more about the civil war than any junior high american. The primary theme of rifles for watie is jefferson davis busseys development from a naive sixteenyearold. Although the first cherokee character speaks with some stereotypical tonto grammar, that impression is quickly erased by the variety of carefully drawn creek, cherokee, and choctaw characters. I believed i had enjoyed the experience, so i decided to have another go at it now and hope the historical novel written for teens still holds up. Harold keith lived his entire life in oklahoma, a state that he greatly loved and which served as the setting for many of his books. Historian and author harold keith packs this wellresearched novel with fascinating details and breathtaking action. Believable characters and vivid battle scenes burst from the pages of history with narrator tom stechschultes dramatic performance. I first read this delightful novel in 1968 or 1969. Please note that a brief synopsis of many of the books included here are provided in our library builders section. The year was 1861, in linn county, kansas, and jeff was excited at the prospect of fighting for the north, finally. Pdf rifles for watie book by harold keith free download. The book is about jeff bussey and his struggles in fighting in the war while also seeing both sides of it. Unit worksheets include multiple days worth of activities, with each set focusing on a single topic.
Book gets 100x better as soon as lucy washbourne is introduced. Rather, its a novel about characters who think and act like people in the united and confederate states of the 1860s would have thought and acted. Mean leader, was a traitor ans old automatic rifles to waties troops. Jefferson davis bussey is the main character in this historically vivid comingofage novel. And that research shows in every area of this book, from the attitudes of the various people to the details of battles to the geographical locations. It was first published in 1957, and received the newbery medal the following year set during the american civil war, the plot revolves around jefferson davis bussey who is sixteen and caught up in the events of history. Homosexual characters have been featured in comics prior to 2003, but usually he it was always a he would be a mincing effeminate poof who would be either the butt the foreshadowing book characters. Rifles for watie tlp guide and book rainbow resource. A hero to the rebel, a devil to the union man, stand watie led the cherokee indian nation fearlessly and successfully on savage raids behind the union lines. The adventures of a sixteen year old jefferson bussey within the events surrounding the american civil war. Rifles for watie questions and answers discover the community of teachers, mentors and students just like you that can answer any question you might have on rifles for watie. Softening the grim and bloody character of this western civil war intrigue is the story of his love for lucy washbourne, the fiery southern girl, who found herself attracted to. When garnet finds a silver thimble in the sand by the river, she is sure its magical.
Only a traitorous union source could be responsible for his supply of the contraband weapons. Rifles for watie this is my ict project for the book rifles for watie by harold keith. The novel mixes historical fact and fiction, and tells the story of jefferson davis bussey, a 16yearold kansas boy who enlists in the union army in 1861 and serves until the war ends. He quickly enlists into what would become a life changing experience. Chapter 1, page 19 before joining the war, jeff considers abraham lincolns suggestion to the citizens of the united states, which was to.
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