Hattie’s War is a middle-grade historical novel about a girl in Milwaukee near the end of the American Civil War. In 1864, Hattie Bigelow is an 11-year-old girl who is more interesting in the emerging sport of baseball than in sewing circles and other women’s efforts to support the Union cause. But when Hattie's friend Charlie enlists as a drummer boy with the Thirty-ninth Wisconsin regiment, and her mother gets involved in the new Soldier’s Home Society, Hattie wants to do her part. But must her back yard playing field be turned into a vegetable garden to feed the soldiers? In the course of a year, the enormous costs of the war place great demands on young Hattie, who learns to make sacrifices and work with others, especially to help prepare for the coming flood of returning veteran soldiers, many of whom need medical attention and housing.
The story, based on actual historical events at the end of the Civil War era, traces the beginnings of long-term care programs that would become the VA system.
Co-authors Hilda and Emily Demuth grew up in southeastern Wisconsin, in a farmhouse located on an old plank road, the setting for their historical novels Plank Road Summer and Plank Road Winter. In addition to literary pursuits and family activities, the two sisters, one now living near Valparaiso, Indiana, and the other in Elmhurst, Illinois, near Chicago, enjoy old-time dance music, traditional crafts, and watching vintage baseball.
The story, based on actual historical events at the end of the Civil War era, traces the beginnings of long-term care programs that would become the VA system.
Co-authors Hilda and Emily Demuth grew up in southeastern Wisconsin, in a farmhouse located on an old plank road, the setting for their historical novels Plank Road Summer and Plank Road Winter. In addition to literary pursuits and family activities, the two sisters, one now living near Valparaiso, Indiana, and the other in Elmhurst, Illinois, near Chicago, enjoy old-time dance music, traditional crafts, and watching vintage baseball.
