FIFER FOR THE UNION

The underlying discomfort of a stepson-stepfather relationship, and the bterfuge by which twelve-year-old Len Baldwin enlists in the Union Army mar an otherwise simple presentation of the Civil War. As a fifer, Len finds that body ice, weevils in the hard tack, wounded and dead men, rather than glory alone are what it means to be a soldier. Except for the scenes of camp life which are excellent, the plot attempts to gather in too much. The portrayal of female characters is weak, particularly their candycoated conversation.