My Vicksburg

By Ann Rinaldi

Book Overview

Claire Louise Corbett and her Confederate family flee their home as Union soldiers shell their town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. They venture out from the safety of a cave only three times a day, when the Union army takes their meals at eight in the morning, noon, and eight at night. Although many of the townspeople suffer from a lack of food, the Corbetts receive extra rations from Claire Louise's brother, Landon, a doctor with the Union army. When Claire Louise discovers her brother tending to a Confederate soldier who is responsible for Robert E. Lee's "lost order" (causing the South to lose the Battle of Antietam), she is forced to make a difficult choice between family and friends.

Award-winning historical novelist Ann Rinaldi paints a story of family, courage, and secrets during the forty-seven-day siege of Vicksburg, a battle that has sometimes been ignored in history because it ended the same day as the Battle of Gettysburg.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0547550006
• ISBN13: 9780547550008
• Release Date: August 2011
• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Length: 160 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 4.5" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

A Compelling, Dramatic Tale From United States History

During the Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi, which lasts for 47 days, the Union Army with General Ulysses S. Grant lays siege to the town, while residents live in caves. Thirteen-year-old Claire Louise Corbett is the daughter of a strict doctor and Confederate officer, but is also the sister of a doctor and Union officer. Life is confusing at best, as Claire Louise, her mother, her five-year-old brother and some servants begin living in a cave near her house. But it seems very far from her elegant Southern home with wallpaper sent from England. Understandably, there are moments when she cannot stand life in the cave. The shelling of the cannons stops for only three hours each day, and Claire Louise uses these opportunities to escape for walks and collect blackberries. During one of these trips, she comes across her Union brother Landon, along with his Confederate friend Robert. Robert is ill, and Landon has been taking care of him. But Robert is wanted by both sides for his involvement in a previous battle. Claire Louise knows that Landon's honor will make him choose to turn Robert in, but is also aware that she is likely the only person who can help the young man escape with his life. Claire Louise has always been close to Landon, helping him with patients and going to him when her father was too strict with her. She knows this will put her at odds with him, maybe forever. But in her eyes, Robert deserves a chance, and she determines to help him. For her and for Robert, it is a life and death decision. She does what she feels she must do and faces harsh consequences as a result. The situation forces her to grow up, but it also helps her better understand her father and her older brother. Award-winning author Ann Rinaldi brings readers right into the Civil War with her well-crafted historical setting and offers flawed but lovable characters. Claire Louise and Landon both make some mistakes in the midst of a terrible situation. Does she do the right thing? What happens after the war? Rinaldi invites readers to decide and predict for themselves in this compelling, dramatic tale from United States history. --- Reviewed by Amy Alessio