Hello, readers!
Welcome to this week’s installment of First Sentence/Free Book Friday!
The focus of this weeks sentence is on Joetta’s oldest son, fifteen-year-old Henry. (Reminder, these posts will always be spoiler free!) The cover copy states this; When fifteen-year-old Henry, impressed by his grandfather’s stories, runs off to volunteer, Joetta insists Ennis go and search for him.
When I began writing #WhentheJessamineGrows, it seemed natural to include a storyline where one of the sons runs off to join. This not only became the inciting incident, it is the domino that puts into motion the rest of the book. I looked at so many photos of these boys who did the same as Henry. I was in awe of them to be so young and think nothing of leaving home to fight. The stories of this happening with both sides are well-known and many were younger than Henry. What compelled them? I know what it was for Henry, but what about the real individuals? I ran across this, and it makes sense. While we like to think homelife back then was idyllic, I’ve read enough to know this wasn’t always the case.
Consider this from Wikipedia regarding the feelings of the boy volunteers from both sides. “A key difference between boys and adults was their attitude towards slavery: in general, boys on both sides had neutral feelings towards slavery.[1] Thus, few were motivated to fight for or against it.[1]By and large, the most popular reason boys joined the military was to escape farm work or an abusive family life.[6]
I know this to be true about escaping farm work or an abusive family because I’ve read about something similar although it was around a completely different topic. I love to read what are known as “captivity stories.” These are the true/non-fiction accounts of frontier children taken by Native American Indians. Often, they assimilated with the tribe and didn’t want to return to their parents. This lack of interest in going back to their families was a phenomenon that was largely left unexplained until Scott Zesch wrote The Captured, where he concluded their reluctance and sometimes out and out refusal to return to their parents, particularly the boys, had to do with the easier lifestyle with their Native American families. They were allowed to ride horses, and learn how to be warriors. They were not required to work. The point being, we have two completely different scenarios where children aren’t keen on their family life and take drastic measures to get away from it.
Here are a couple photos of Union boy soldiers:
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CHAPTER 4
She was often brought out of sleep throughout the long nights, and when she swung her feet over the side of the bed each morning, she was confronted by one singular thought: Henry is gone.
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BOOK GIVEAWAY!!!
This week is another chance to win a signed copy of #TheMoonshinersDaughter! My publisher is repackaging most of my backlist titles. You’ve likely seen the new one for Moonshiner’s, but if not, here it is:
The copies I’m giving out for this year’s First Sentence/Free Book Fridays will have the original cover. (which I’ve heard from some of you that you like better!) Just so you know what to expect!
EDITED TO ADD: For a chance to win this week’s copy of #TheMoonshinersDaughter, let me know if you were aware of boys this young volunteering and what you think about it.
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PRE-ORDERS
Pre-orders gauge the interest and signal to the publisher readers are eager for an author’s work! Please consider pre-ordering because it really does help! If you’re holding out because you might win an ARC or a finished copy, remember you can always give away the extra as a gift to one of your reader friends. ????
Pre-order links for your convenience:
Kensington Publishing Corporation
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Last, but not least, don’t forget to:
- Add WHEN THE JESSAMINE GROWS to your Goodreads “To Read” shelf
- Share this post with your reader friends
- Follow me on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Bookbub, or my blog!
See you all next week!
Thank you for another opportunity to win a copy of The Moonshiner’s Daughter! I do love that original cover.
I love them both. To me, the second is SO atmospheric, and really captures the area where my MC, Jessie Sasser lives.
How sad ???? My step-father shared his life with me for a geography paper. Growing up in Southern Ohio, poor farmers, I believe he was one of 8. They brushed their teeth with tree branches, wore hand stitched clothes from potatoes sacks, played cars with empty booze bottles left behind by hobos, and the saddest of all…made to stay outside until the adults finished eating! The children got the scraps, if there was any left ???? I can see why a young mind might feel as if there had to be a better life out there somewhere. Thanks for Sharing! Have A Great Day ????
OMG. It’s hard to imagine, growing up like that, isn’t it? Children were often seen as a commodity, a resource to be used for work. I’m sure not all parents were like this, but there were enough. I recall reading somewhere, also, that they often had so many children for that very reason – as help around the farm.
Thank you for this opportunity. I am excited to check out your books and learn more about your area of the country. I’ve never been to the south.
Wow! I knew the soldiers were young, but eleven years old?! He’s just a baby! Crazy the history of the “why’s”. Thank you for bringing this historical information to the forefront. Henry’s story sounds intriguing. Michele Waite
Hi Donna: What is the prompt question(s) for this week? I do know that my partner’s great great grandpappy died at Sharpsburg and he was conscripted. He son who was 14 struck out and became a turpentiner (that’s why The Saints of Swallow Hill was a draw for me and I began following you). Turpentine is farming and my partner’s great grandpappy struck out to farm, after his father and uncle died in the Civil War. No family, no work, no more war, tapping longleaf pine was the way to go.
I guess I forgot to do an update before it posted! Thank you for alerting me that I’d not done this. Just added a prompt as follows: EDITED TO ADD: For a chance to win this week’s copy of #TheMoonshinersDaughter, let me know if you were aware of boys this young volunteering and what you think about it.
You’re right about the longleaf – lots of men wanted to work in the piney woods, despite all that was involved. There was a solace to it, and if you’ve ever walked in woods like that, you know exactly what I mean!
interesting post
Thanks!
You have inspired me to read The Captured. It sounds very interesting, and I also love learning about early American history. Thanks for my book!????