Tom of the Raiders

Description

First published in 1921, Tom of the Raiders by Austin Bishop is the story of a young man who decides to pay his dues to his country by joining the Union Army during the American Civil War and a wonderful novel of heroism and development that is also packed with adventure.

Most of the story revolves around one of the most extraordinary military missions of the Civil War: the Great Locomotive Chase. In April 1862, a squad of volunteers from the Union Army set off to take possession of a train called the General in order to seize the railroad that linked Atlanta to Chattanooga. The plan was to cause as much damage to the railroad and to the telegraph lines in the area as possible, thus cutting the path of advancement of the Confederate Army.

They were first pursued by only two railroad employees, but then the Confederates launched a large-scale chase that involved using another train called the Texas. The Unionists could not complete their mission – the locomotive engine ran out of fuel less than 20 miles before they could reach their final destination and the volunteers had to abandon the train. The raiders scattered in the forests surrounding the railroads, but they were caught by the Confederates within less than a fortnight and most of them were court martialed, hanged and then buried in unmarked graves.

Tom of the Raiders is a well-written and eventful novel – exciting and entertaining all the way to the last sentence. The young boy who joins the volunteers must live up to the expectations of a harsh adult world, he must learn tons of things and he must learn them fast, but he does an excellent work and he is able to cope with all the hardships and dangers marvelously – his adventures will keep adult and teenage readers pinned to the edge of their chairs, that’s sure.
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