“On to Richmond!” was the Yanks’ cry in 1862, but Fredericksburg stood in the way. Coincidentally, 17-year-old Rufus Rowe is there, too. Having left home and his abusive stepfather, he’s come to Fredericksburg and is living above the stable at Brompton, on Marye’s Heights, soon to be the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Too young to fight, Rufus is an able reporter, observing the flight of the town’s residents before the impending battle, the failure of Union troops under Burnside to take their early advantage, the failure of pontoon bridges to arrive on time, and the horrors of the battle itself. Though this entry in the My Name Is America series never feels like an actual journal, it does clearly portray a young man’s coming of age, his first friendship with an African-American man, and his disillusionment with war. Civil War buffs and fans of the series will find a solid summary of a key battle. (Fiction. 9-14)
