Rifle for Watie

A historical fiction novel following sixteen-year-old Jeff Bussey, a farm boy from Kansas who joins the Union Army during the Civil War and becomes embroiled in the complex guerrilla warfare along the Kansas-Missouri border. The story explores themes of loyalty, moral complexity, and the devastating impact of civil war on communities and families. Jeff's journey takes him behind enemy lines where he encounters Stand Watie, a Cherokee Confederate general, leading to profound questions about justice, divided loyalties, and the human cost of war.