The Boys in the Blue and Gray by Chris James   Action/Adventure   Mild Sexual Situations   Rated Mature PG-13 Proudly presented by The Tarheel Writer - On the Web since 24 February 2003. Celebrating 21 Years on the Internet! Tarheel Home Page

Author Introduction
    This story was gleaned from years of reading and hours of research, beginning with the cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, the youngest fighting unit to ever take the field ... and win. Two hundred and fifty-seven cadets, many of them only fifteen years of age.

7 July 2022 - Note from Jevic - Here is a link to an article titled Boys of the Civil War by J. Arthur Moore that speaks of the Virginia Military Institute. Please note there is a picture of a deceased teenaged boy that some might find disturbing.

    Ever since I was a young boy the history of the United States has been a fascination, and no period in the past two hundred and thirty-four years stands out like the American Civil War. I have read all the great books on the subject by the authors of renown…Bruce Catton, Shelby Foote, and legions of others. I highly recommend them for an in-depth look.
    It was a time of great turmoil, no matter which side of the conflict is viewed or favored; it was a moment in time when this nation almost ceased to exist. The youngest soldiers who fought were from the south, some as young as twelve years of age. And so when I read about the battles and saw the early photographic results I found the image of a dead Confederate boy sadly compelling, he was just fourteen.
    This story was gleaned from years of reading and hours of research, beginning with the cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, the youngest fighting unit to ever take the field ... and win. Two hundred and fifty-seven cadets, many of them only fifteen years of age. Their place in our history is like no other, and the school still maintains a monument to honor their glory in the Battle of New Market. This is where my story begins.
    The reader is cautioned to understand that this is a fictional story, although I have tried to stick to the facts and timeline of the events portrayed. Most of these characters never existed; they are a product of the writer's imagination. I have included historical figures only to lend credibility to the action; they are accurately quoted whenever possible.
    There is little adult material in this story, and that which is portrayed is common among young teenage boys. But I wanted this to be a grand romantic adventure for the reader, a unique look at what America was like in the not too distant past.
Chris James, 2010


Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three



Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve and The Epilogue


Chris James Home Page



"The Boys in the Blue and Gray" Copyright © 2010 by Chris James. All rights reserved.
    This work may not be duplicated in any form (physical, electronic, audio, or otherwise) without the author's written permission. All applicable copyright laws apply. All individuals depicted are fictional with any resemblance to real persons being purely coincidental.

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