I FIRST READ R-F-W IN 1992, I HAVE SINCE READ THE NOVEL 10 TIMES. AS A CIVIL WAR BUFF I REALLY ENJOYED THE WESTERN FRONTIER BATTLES. IN HISTORY CLASS ONE USUALLY NEVER GETS MUCH INSIGHT ON THOSE AREAS OF THE CIVIL WAR. I LOVE THE PASE OF THIS NOVEL, IT SEEMS AS IF IT NEVER SLOWS DOWN. I REMEMBER AS A KID FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE CHARECTERS AND WANTING TO BE THEM. WHEN I DEPLOYED TO IRAQ IN 03 THIS BOOK SERVED A LINK BACK TO MY HOME IN ALABAMA. I HAVE READ THIS BOOK TO MY SON AND HAVE GIVEN IT AWAY AS GIFT

STACEY

Rifles for Watie is a book that i will never forget.It has action and suspense with occasional drama. The book makes you want to keep reading until your done. Even then you want to know what happens next. I could read this book time and time again without thinking that it ever got old or boring. It is truly one of the best books I have ever read!

I actually went back and re-read "Rifles for Watie" several months ago, more than 40 years after I had first encountered it. (It won the 1958 Newberry Award for children's literature and was a hot item in my elementary school library.) In reading the book as an adult, I was disappointed in the episodic construction of Harold Keith's narrative. He makes some big leaps as he jumps along through the Civil War; in some cases, several months pass between one chapter and the next. This weakens the development of the characters, in particular the youthful focus of the book, Jeff Bussey. At the end of the novel, despite his four years of experience as a combat soldier, spy, and lover, there is little sense that this teenager matures or changes. Even without war, and even sequestered in college, most kids do a fair amount of growing up between ages 18 and 22. At the end of a terrible war, Jeff seems to be as callow and even innocent as he was in his recruit days.

This failing, however, probably won't matter to the young audience for whom Keith was writing back in the 1950s. The book reflects the sensibilities of that era, especially in the equal regard in which Keith holds the supporters of both the Union and the Confederacy. Jefferson Davis Bussey, a Union soldier (named by his father after a respected Mexican War comrade from Mississippi!), learns to like and respect his Confederate adversaries, and he falls in love with a Rebel girl. The only real villain in the story is a Union officer. Even in the 21st century, younger readers (ages 8-14) will likely identify with Jeff and his perspective on the events of the 1860s. They also will enjoy Keith's colorful description of battles and soldiering, as well as the more sober scenes of the war's cruelty and destruction.

When "Rifles for Watie" was first published, it revealed to many Americans, including a lot of Civil War scholars, that the conflict had been irrepressible west of the Mississippi as well as in the East. Keith doesn't really deal with all the causes and ramifications of the war in the Indian Territory, and a search of the amazon.com website reveals many more recent scholarly books about the subject. But for readers young and old, "Rifles for Watie" still can be a painless introduction to the topic -- for all of that episodic narrative, it's still a Good Read.

Rifles for Watie


"Jeff Bussey is probably the only soldier to fight the civil war from both sides - and understand each of them."

The union. Stars and stripes. All are equal.

The rebel confederates. Evil. Slavery.

Jefferson Davis Bussey wanted to go to the army ever since president Lincoln made a speech in Linn County, Kansas, in 1861. His dad had fought in the Mexican war and had been in the army.
"Pa, I want to go to Fort Leavenworth tomorrow and join the volunteers." Jeff said. After the two Missouri bushwhackers invaded his house and tried to kill his father, he knew he had to do something. The next day, he enlisted in the Union infantry, where he marched day and night with his friends John Chadwick, David Gardner, and Noah Babbitt. Although these are only some of his companions.
Jeff doesn't know it, but he is going to become an important soldier in the Union and Confederate ranks. He is sent to spy behind the enemy's lines. General Blunt needs information on Stand Watie's cavalry and Sergeant Cooper's infantry. If he's caught he'll be shot, but the worst danger of his discovery is that all the Confederates - even Stand Watie - are men with admiral qualities. On top of that, he falls in love with a rebel girl named Lucy. Jeff is forced to make a choice - to escape the enemy or join it.

by Ricky

I first read this delightful novel in 1968 or 1969. It continues to be one of my favorite books. Historian and former OU sports information director Harold Keith actually makes history "fun" for teenagers with this award-winning tale, as RIFLES FOR WAITIE gives readers a full account of the brutal Civil War campaign in the Indian Territories of the frontier.

At the heart of Keith's story is young Jeff Bussey, who joins a regiment of Kansas volunteers as a 16-year-old, idealistic adventure seeker. Jeff's idealism is short-lived once he confronts the horrors and barbarism of war; it is replaced by disillusionment, bitterness, fear. Although written in the Fifties, Keith cuts no corners in portraying the brutality of the Civil War in Oklahoma Territory; the reader can smell the smoke, hear the deafening roar of cannon, feel the bullets whistle past. And as young Jeff matures. . .becomes a battle-hardened survivor. . .he is sent on an assignment behind enemy lines--only to discover the men he is fighting are just like him: cold, tired, hungry, and ready to go home.

Wonderfully written and flawlessly paced, RIFLES FOR WAITIE is an absorbing read. Highly recommended for teenagers or history buffs wanting to learn more about the Civil War in Oklahoma.
--D. Mikels

Rifles for Watie is a book about a boy who is 16 years old, joining the Union army. After training, (Jeff which is his name) marches long hours to another fort where in a few days are going to fight. Jeff can't wait to fight, butwhen the are marching in to battle a general orders him to retrieve another general that was left behind.
After some small fighting later, General Blunt orders Jeff to go be a scout and spy on the Confederate Army. He is sent there to get the information needed to win the Civil War. When he does get the info he plans to leave A.S.A.P. because he is 14 months overdue. When he is running away a Confederate spots him, and starts to chase him. It is a long and weary chase all along Texas Road but he manages to get back to the fort and help the Union Army win.

I really enjoy this book but, I'm not leaving it at that.I think this book should and could be made into a film.It's got all the ingredients.A young man called Jeff in his teens(I'm about his age actually)who goes off to war to fight for his homeland for the Union.(same old story right?)EXCEPT about halfway through the book he joins the Rebel side.Which ideals are best for fighting a war? Help keep the union together and get rid of slavery or fight to help save the cherokee indians lands fighting under conel Watie of the confederete army? Sounds pretty good doesn't it? Heroic battles where Jeff is pitted agains't Rebels in pitched battles including a time where he gets a medal for bravery.Deadly skirmishes(that really give the story it's excitment)often by suprise from the enemy.Jeff meets and loses friends on both sides that are each nice in their own way.Both sides have very different ways they fight the war.A captivating cherokee girl(totally a rebel) named Lucy meet and come to love each other utterly despite their differances.
I have given only a few of the points that would make this book a good movie.I don't have room to write more.I guess it could be rated PG-13 for battle sequences but not for other lewd content thats not in the book.I hope in to it in theaters in a few years!(I think Peter Jackson could do a good job seeing how he did Lord of the Rings so well.

Simply an amazing book! It does evrything a historical fiction novel should. It hits all the highs and stays up there. In this story you breathe, smell, see, even feel the civil war around you. A fascinating book!

As a Civil War historian, I found this book fascinating! I knew little about the war in the very far west, or about Indians fighting for the Confederates! This book brought it all alive for me! But this book also deals with the issues of the war for both sides! If you enjoy serious Civil War stories, then this book is for you! Grade: A+