Swords of Steel: The Story of a Gettysburg Boy

by Elsie Singmaster, David Hendrickson (Illustrator)

A powerful, deeply absorbing story in which the reader sees through the eyes of a sensitive boy, John Deane, events preceding the Civil War in the Gettysburg country, the pursuit of escaped negroes, the attack at Harper's Ferry, then war at close range when John's home is taken over by the enemy and he watches the family papers and treasures go to pile up the breastwork. The love affairs of John's sisters are in gay relief, and his own shy romance and his return from the War are touchingly described. Battle pictures of great vigor help to make a volume which will rank among the finest achievements of the year in books of interest for old and young.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Juvenile

262 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1933

About the author

Married name Lewars

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm giving one and a half stars to this book, and I very neary rounded that rating up to two instead of down to one.

There are definitely points of value to Swords of Steel. The candid insider's look at the Battle of Gettysburg as it unfolds is unlike most accounts of the famous battle that are given in juvenile novels. This same insider's perspective is brought to several other important historical moments in and around the Civil War: John Brown at Harper's Ferry, the intelligent troop movements of the soldiers commanded by the brilliant general J.E.B. Stewart, and the shameful treatment given to ex-slaves on a routine basis by both Union and Confederate sympathizers are just a few of the historical pieces of the Civil War that are viewed in this book from the point of view of John Deane, a boy who lives right in Gettysburg.

We're there alongside John for six of the most memorable years of his life, from the day he turns twelve to well past his eighteenth birthday, when he's finally old enough to join the U.S. military and fight to keep his country together. John faces some serious personal struggles as the war first begins and his father volunteers to fight. John is still far too young himself to enlist, but the years of impatient waiting are taken up with the cares of home life and keeping watch over his older sisters and grandfather, who like John are all anxiously hoping for the war to end and his father to return home safe.

In my opinion, the idea behind Swords of Steel had a lot of potential, and I can certainly see the glimmers of it time and again throughout the story. The vocabulary is often impressively varied, and the scenes involving Abraham Lincoln, even if only from afar, offer a poignant sensibility that touches every part of the rest of the story. Perhaps it might have been better for this book to be somewhat shorter, but it has a number of good moments exactly how it is, and people who are interested in new perspectives on the Civil War will probably find much to like about Swords of Steel.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5-5 stars. Pretty much the book described in the title: John Deane is just a boy (12 yrs old) in 1859. He lives at home in Gettysburg (on Seminary Ridge) with his father, grandfather (Gran'sir) and his sisters, the twins Sallie and Sue. The family business is making/selling carriages and John gets to travel with his father as he makes deliveries. In the course of the John's story, the reader experiences various historical events: the raid on Harper's Ferry, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Gettysburg address, and Lee's surrender. John's family is also involved with the Underground Railroad (delivering carriages is a perfect way of moving escapees); also part of the story is the horror of the Fugitive Slave Act including the taking of freemen and moving them south. John endures the battle of Gettysburg imprisoned by the rebels in his home's cellar. Once war breaks out John wants to join as a drummer, but isn't permitted (why is a quick one or two line throwaway) until very late in the war when he joins the cavalry. This book is very pro-Union, pro-Lincoln, pro-abolition. Slavers and white informers (Turners) are despised. The Rebels themselves are mostly neutrally depicted, except for the ones who takeover John's home and destroy the family's possessions. I especially enjoyed the way John was written: sensitive, curious, frequently amazed. I read this for my 2018 Reading Challenge and Newbery Challenge.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the last really old Newbery I had never read. It feels like the end of an era for me. John Deane lives with his father, two sisters, Sue and Sallie, and his grandfather. The family lives in Gettysburg at the time of the Civil War. I really loved the characters and the writing. It's always interesting to read Civil War books where you see both sides of the war and realize there were real people fighting, and they had families, and one side or the other wasn't all bad or all good.I loved all the history with Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Lee, Meade, etc. It was interesting to read about John's life in Gettysburg during the war, and really he isn't able to join until the end of the book, which is interesting reading as well. I would read this again.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very episodic, in such a way that it was confusing at times to switch chapters and find your place in the story again. I liked the characters, and I enjoyed hearing about places that I used to live near. The writing, though, was overdone and would be difficult for many modern readers. It was very anti-slavery, but anti-racist in the vein of Uncle Tom's Cabin, where there were unhelpful stereotypes.

[Amber Scaife · Rating 4 out of 5]

A coming of age story of a boy living in Gettysburg just before, during, and just after the Civil War.
Good characters and a nice treatment of the subject. One quibble: the war battle/strategy bits plodded on a bit for me.

[Desiree']

1934 Newbery honor book

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book about a boy who grows up in Gettysburg before, and during, the Civil War. He wants to join the Union Army, but he is a tad too young. The book outlines how different aspects of the war changed his life.

The book is okay, but it is heavily biased toward most Union soldiers are good and most Confederate soldiers are bad. By the end it gets a little better, but it completely justifies General Sherman's March to the Sea.

Anyway, the book is a little hard to get through, but it was interesting at the same time. Impressively enough, even though the opinions against the South are a little strong, the book is accurate to history.