The Uncivil War: Battle in the Classroom

by Nick K. Adams

Morgan Huddleston and Jeremy Wiggins have shared a classroom for three years, disliking each other the whole time and always in constant competition. Then a fourth grade social studies assignment reveals they are directly connected by tragic events that occurred 150 years earlier. Morgan and Jeremy contact their relatives and learn they both had a great-great-great-grandfather at the Battle of Chickamauga - but on opposite sides. Morgan's distant grandfather fought for the Confederacy there, while Jeremy's distant grandfather was a Union soldier and was killed in the battle. So the big "What if...?" question is raised in the classroom. How the two students arrive at a resolution that ends their own uncivil war is the heartening conclusion to the story. Using contemporary settings, flashbacks based on historical characters and units, preserved family letters, and actual battlefield events at Chickamauga, The Uncivil War demonstrates how history can become magically alive when its students become personally involved. Author Nick K. Adams is a retired elementary school teacher who lives in Lakewood, Washington with his wife, Carolyn Stover Modarelli-Adams, who created the interior artwork and cover design for The Uncivil War. He continues to research and write about the Civil War, volunteers as a CASA at Juvenile Court, and enjoys performing professionally as a storyteller.

84 pages, Paperback

First published May 2, 2010

About the author

I am a recently retired elementary school teacher, having taught second, third, and fourth grades for nineteen years. My writing draws on my classroom experiences with that age group. The story of a teacher trying to involve his students in the meaningful study of history on a personal level reflects a major theme of what was my teaching style.

I have been writing or re-working and telling stories professionally for more than 20 years, and appear regularly at area schools, libraries, bookstores and stages. I am happily married, and the proud grandfather of fourteen, to whom I have dedicated six recorded collections of the stories I tell. Eclectically, I am also an avid collector of ancient Greek, Roman, and British coins, and a summertime kayaker in our beautiful Puget Sound.

Reviews

[Jennifer Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Read it to my 8 yr old daughter all in one evening. It touched both of us and had her wanting to research more about the Civil War and if we had family involved in it.

Met the author at a Civil War enactment and he was the nicest fellow and autographed my daughter's book. We learned a lot from talking to him and now finally got to where we could read the book.

From the author's site: Morgan Huddleston and Jeremy Wiggins have shared a classroom for three years, disliking each other the whole time and in constant competition. Then a fourth grade social studies assignment reveals they are directly connected by tragic events that occurred 150 years earlier. Morgan and Jeremy contact their relatives and learn they both had a great-great-great-grandfather present at the Civil War Battle of Chickamauga – but on opposite sides. Morgan’s distant grandfather fought for the Confederacy while Jeremy’s distant grandfather was a Union soldier who was killed in the battle. So the big “What if…?” question is raised in the classroom. How the two students arrive at a resolution that ends their own uncivil war is the heartening conclusion to the story. The Uncivil War melds its contemporary setting with flashbacks that draw on historical characters, preserved family letters, and actual battlefield events, bringing history to life.

[Irma Gross · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Uncivil War is a book that will encourage students to get into history. Students find the characters and the conflict in the story interesting and intriguing. I read this book as a read-aloud to my 4th and 5th grade students. It opened many discussions about the Civil War as well as inspired some to go and find out their own family history. Great historical fiction!