Drummer

by Dan Bomkamp

Fourteen-year old Eli Campbell buried his family one by one in the late winter of 1861. They’d all died of smallpox, but by some miracle Eli didn’t catch the deadly disease. When spring came he was introduced to Henry Dillon, a local tailor and Dillon befriended the boy. Later the winds of war began to blow as the south talked of seceding from the Union. Dillon organized an artillery battery since he’d had experience in a unit as a boy from New York State in the Mexican/American War. Eli wanted to go along but at fourteen, he was too young. But there was a way… he could become a musician. The army allowed boys as young as twelve to play drum, bugle or fife. Eli jumped at the chance to participate in this grand adventure. He had no idea what he was getting into.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 31, 2016