Rifles+for+Watie+Summary-+BLC

media type="custom" key="769053" // Rifles for Watie // Chapter Summaries

Heyy visit my blog-[|here] Chapter 1 & 2-  Jefferson Davis Bussey is a 16 year old that is living during the Civil War time period. He has a family of five and lives in Linn County in Kansas. He is a union supporter and his family is also. His Father has very strong beliefs and teaches them to his family. One day while Jeff is out in the field, he heard a horn that is a signal of trouble. Bushwhackers came and tried to kill his father. Jeff ran to the house and saved his family from them through his efforts in the fight. They left but his father stayed strong through the whole time and didn’t give up. Jeff decided he needed to join the volunteers because he didn’t want this to happen to his family again. His father let him go. Chapter 3 & 4  Jeff goes to enlist for the Kansas volunteers. He meets his friend John Chadwick on his way and John joins him on his journey and plans on enlisting with him. Jeff then meets Dave Gardener and he is persuaded to join the volunteers also. They arrived and met their new captain, a man named Asa Clardy. Clardy ordered them to fix bayonets and Jeff said that his wasn’t broken. Clardy took this as Jeff talking back to him. This caused Clardy to ask for his name. Jeff replied and then Clardy said he didn’t like his name because it reminded him of a confederate’s name, Jefferson Davis. Jeff refused to change his name and was punished for it. Jeff then met Mike Demsey. On July 1861 the Kansas Volunteers were trained enough to cross the Missouri River and go to the Battle. Gardener got homesick and he didn’t like the war. Jeff and Noah Babbitt steal melons for a field and ate them because food was scarce. David left because he was sick of the war and got into trouble for deserting.  Chapter 5  Jeff went home and saw his family. He was told that David Gardner didn’t make it home but he soon found out that he did. On Jeff’s walk home he saw David and his mother talking outside. David’s face was dirty and his clothes were torn. Apparently, he had just arrived. David was saying that he didn’t want to go back because he had become very homesick. His mother said that since it was his choice to go in the war she wouldn’t let him stay home. They went back and started their march to Springfield, Missouri.

Chapter 6, 7 & 8  Jeff and the rest of his company had started their mach to Springfield. At Grand River in Kansas they were going to join up with General Nathaniel Lyon. As they moved farther along, they became very tired and thirsty. That hadn’t had any water in a long period of time. Jeff and his company then met up with Lyon and the two volunteer groups marched together. Jeff met a boy named Jimmy Leer. Jimmy was a boy from the Missouri Volunteers. Later Jimmy and Jeff had greybacks on them. This is what Jimmy called lice. Next Jimmy got in trouble for being too young. The Sergeant took him away. He admitted that he was only 14 years old. The next evening everyone was talking about how close they were to their first battle. Jeff decided that he should clean his gun. To do this, he went into the woods and shot it. As soon as he was done shooting it, a sentry came up to him and arrested him because he hadn’t obtained permission to shoot his gun. Jeff tried to explain to the man that he was only trying to clean it but the sentry didn’t care. He was then taken before Captain Asa Clardy. He was forced to bee on all- night sentry duty as a punishment for his actions. There, he met sparrow. Sparrow told Jeff about a time when Clardy had beaten a woman to death. This was information that sparrow was talking about before when he said he new things about Clardy.  Jeff saw Jimmy later. He was allowed to stay as a drummer until he turned 16. At this time he would be able to join back up again. Jeff also saw David who was in trouble for deserting. Later on the march someone shot their gun to get out of having to be in the battle coming up and Captain Clardy got mad.  They snuck up on the rebels and started fighting with them in the morning. Jeff was just about to go when he was ordered to go and find the quartermaster. He didn’t want to because he wanted to be in the battle but he had to listen to orders. On his way he ran into Clardy. Clardy asked Jeff why he wasn’t where he was supposed to be and Jeff back talked and said something about the widow who he had killed and stolen 800 dollars from. Later they retreated. Many had died in the battle. Later when they were marching to Rolla, Jeff was but on duty with the ambulances by Clardy. He saw Ford who was believed to be dead. Ford had to have his leg amputated and was upset about it. On the detail he saw a dog that had belonged to someone who had died. He became friendly with her and called her Dixie. After this they got new uniforms. Then something horrid happened. The next day they found sparrow, dead with a knife sticking out of his back. 

Chapter 9-  Jeff went to a women’s house and asked if he could have some of the apples that were growing in her yard. She fed him apple butter and light bread. Then he went back and was on detail where he had to confiscate livestock from people. The last place they went was the McComas. This is where the lady that fed Jeff the apples lived. They took away her cow. Jeff felt so bad that he stole the got they took and brought it back to the women. Three months later they had a gun cleaning inspection of some sort and wanted to clean his gun. He didn’t want to be arrested again so he went and asked Clardy for permission which he was given. He was arrested and when he was brought in front of Clardy, Clardy lied and said that he had never given Jeff permission. Jeff got punished again even though he didn’t deserve it. 

Chapter 10-  Jeff met Joe Grayson. He also met some Indians. Rebels attacked them and stole the stakes Jeff had been cooking. They had started shooting at them and they ran to hide. Millholland didn’t make it and he was shot and killed.

Chapter 11- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> The new sergeant Jim Pike took command in replacement of Millholland. They were told that they had to impress the Tahlequah Indians so they would choose to join the union forces. They stooped at a house so the officers could eat. The Washbournes’ lived there. Jeff was ordered to get wood and chop it for fuel while the officers ate.

Chapter 12- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> They are near Prairie grove on <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">December 7, 1862 and are ready to fight. They got a new commander named Blunt. He used to be a doctor. Jeff was in his first battle. He began to realize how war really is and that it isn’t all fun and fames. They fixed their bayonets and charged. During the battle of Prairie Grove, Jeff and Noah were asked to help with the artillery because they were in need of people.

Chapter 13- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> One day in morning inspection Noah and Jeff’s names were called. They were awarded for assisting the battery. They each got a medal of honor. Jeff went to a rebel hospital. He saw Jimmy Lear who got run over by a caisson and was going to die. He told Jeff that he wanted him to have his new drum that he was storing under his bed. He loved his drum. Jimmy then died. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> They got into the town and looted things so they could eat. The rebels bombed them. One rebel was hit and Asa killed him brutally. Everyone was mad at Clardy because of this. Jeff was put on duty to watch that no alcohol got in. Jeff took stuff that smelled like cider and got drunk off of it. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">

Chapter 14- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> They went back to Tahlequah. Jeff saw Lucy Washbourne again. Three men were harassing the Washbourne women and Jeff stood up for them and helped. Jeff and got into a fight with them. Jeff won and the three men went away. Jeff talked to Lucy about the Declaration of Independence and tried to convince Lucy that the union people were right. Jeff told her that the Declaration of Independence stated that slavery is wrong. Lucy got upset and her sister told Jeff that she was upset because their brother Lee went missing and she blamed to union for it.

Chapter 15- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> Jeff is near <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">Fort Gibson and a wagon of union cavalrymen come there. David Gardner is one of them. Jeff doesn’t recognize him because he hadn’t seen him in so long. They converted from infantry to cavalry. They started their training for the cavalry. Jeff went and he heard a noise. He went to where the noise was coming from and found a woman whose house was on fire and her husband dead on the ground. Their horse was also dead. They had to kill the horses 2 babied because they couldn’t survive without their mother.

Chapter 16- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> Jeff heard his name called from the bushes. It was David. He wanted Jeff to cross the river with him to trade with the rebels who were living on the other side. David said he had done it a lot of times before. They traded coffee to get tobacco. Later Clardy told bill to sing for fun and he did. Soon the rebel singers joined in. In the night Jeff was recruited for “Special Duty”. They went to see an execution of a prisoner. One of the men in the firing squad fainted. Clardy ordered Jeff to take his place but Jeff had refused. The man in the squad recovered from fainting. They shot and killed the man and then the cavalry was made to go up and look at him. He had a watch in his personal belongings. It said the name Lee Washbourne. Jeff sent the body back to the Washbournes. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> After that, Jeff was summoned by General Blunt.

Chapter 17- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> Blunt asked him if he wanted to be a scout. He became one and they went to the rebel side to capture men for prisoners. They got a prisoner who was dying and 2 horses, one of which Jeff had acquired. The rebels found out and started attacking. Then they surrendered and Jeff went to go visit Lucy.

Chapter 18- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> He went to see Lucy but when he arrived they weren’t there and the place looked deserted. Jeff went to the door and black women answered. Jeff asked her where Lucy was and Mrs. Washbourne came to the door and invited him in. Lucy and her family thanked Jeff for bringing the body to them. They spent time together and Jeff really got to know Lucy. Later they kissed. When he got back, David pulled him aside and said he shouldn’t go scouting today because the rebel army was upset about Lee and Waite’s men said they would kill any of Clardy’s men. Jeff was the only scout who was Clardy’s men. They went across the river and split into partner groups. Jeff’s partner was a man named Bostwick. He and his partner ran into a large rebel cavalry deport. Bostwick lied and told the men that he and Jeff were interested in joining Watie at honey springs. They said that if that’s what they wanted they could meet with Watie who was there. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">

Chapter 19- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> They were up against Watie’s men and they told Jeff and Bostwick to wait until the morning and they could talk to Watie. They met the colonel and he was nice to them. They got sworn in. Later Jeff met Leemon Jones who was a slave. Jeff was the horse holder in the battle. Bostwick was fighting and got hit and died. Fields found out he was a Yankee because when Bostwick died he looked into his canteen and inside it was union coffee. The cook, a scary looking man named heifer stood up for him. Heifer offered Jeff and bed to sleep in and they became friends. The next day Jeff left because he was sick. He tried to escape but he was too sick to continue and he had Leemon Hones deliver a message to Blunt about the rebels and what their plan was. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">

Chapter 20- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> Jeff was sick for 2 weeks while Hannah a Negro slave of the Jackman’s took care of him. He had been sick with Malaria. The family was moving and they took Jeff with him because he was to sick to escape. Then the Pins, Indians loyal to the union, robbed the Jackmans of everything they had. They took all their horses which was bad because they couldn’t travel without horses. They solved the problem by using the animals the Pins left behind because they were too old. Sophie, one of the daughters, received news that her husband had died in the Battle of Perryville. Mr. Jackman came and told Jeff that the rebels were getting repeating rifles. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">

Chapter 21- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> Jeff rejoined the Watie brigade because he was better. Jeff got a new horse from heifer named Flea Bite. Everyone was happy to have him back. They traveled to Boggy Depot, the rebel capital. There he men colonel Watie. Watie was old looking and Jeff didn’t realize who he was when he first saw him. Boudinot whom Jeff was escorting was Watie’s nephew. Jeff eavesdropped on their conversation and found out that they bought gold and were going to buy repeating rifles with it. They were smuggling them from <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">St. Louis. A union officer was selling the guns to them. They already had 12 and were going to but 200 more. Jeff began to like the Watie men. They started traveling toward <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">Fort Gibson.

Chapter 22- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> A union ship came. It was pheasant bluff. Jeff fought his first battle with the rebels as something other than a horse holder. Heifer joined him just to watch over him. They won and went aboard the ship and took all the stuff it was carrying to the union. Later, Jeff found out that the man who was selling the repeating rifles to the rebels was none other than Asa Clardy. He sold 200 to them and was going to come back with more. Jeff was getting ready to leave and make his way to <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">Fort Gibson.

Chapter 23- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> Jeff saw Lucy. Lucy began hugging and kissing him. She thought that Jeff had switched to the confederate side. He told her the truth. They said that after the war was over they were going to get married. Lucy promised she would wait for him. He was just about to leave when he ran into Clardy. He started running because he knew that Clardy would tell Watie all about Jeff.

Chapter 24- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> He traveled at night and during the day so he wouldn’t be seen or caught. He traveled through water so the dogs would have a harder time finding him. He went to sleep and was awoken by a storm. He soon heard horse hooves. Several mounted men that were heavily armed road toward him. They had two dogs with them that were trying to track down Jeff. They came close to finding him but they didn’t and road off. He traveled more and again the rebels came close to capturing him. He hid in the water and waited. Unfortunately the loads in his pistol were wet and useless now. He was so hungry and was becoming incredibly weak. He went to a deserted town and stayed in a place. A wolf attacked a pig and Jeff took the meat and ate it. This built up his strength. He passed Elk Creek. He had just passed it wand was on the <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif">Texas road when he heard the bloodhounds that were searching for him. These dogs were even better than the other ones. Jeff gave up and the dog got to him. Field and the rebels didn’t come for a while so Jeff fed the dog ham, bribing him to keep going. A man saw Jeff, he was union cavalry. Jeff asked to see Blunt but a new general named Colonel Wattles came. This man was really Lieutenant Orff. Orff recognized him immediately. Jeff also got to see Noah again.

Chapter 25- <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif"> June 1865- the war was over. They were going home. He had been promoted to sergeant the minute General Blunt found out he was back. They stared at Bill’s aunt’s house. Jeff was proud of himself. He went home and his house had a new room and a new fence. He met ring first who was extremely excited to see him. He saw his sister Mary who he had mistaken for Bess. Bess had gotten married and moved away while he was in the war. He received a letter from Lucy. In the letter he found out that Clardy, who had been known as missing, had been found and stabbed to death. Jeff was home at last. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rifles_for_Watie http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-rifles-for-watie/chapanal004.html

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