text: I have read it and enjoyed it. It really brought out the attitudes and historical elements of the south in the war.\n\nThis historical novel set in the Civil War era was first published in 1993 and is based on the extraordinary experience of one family in the South. The Civil War began with shots fired at Will McLean's house at Manassas and—by an amazing quirk of fate—ended with General Lee discussing surrender in the Appomattox house where McClean had moved his family to escape the war. Through the eyes of the narrator, Oscie Mason, readers can explore the impact of historical events on one family from 1852—when Will McLean becomes Oscie's new stepfather—to the end of the war.