Corporal Bucky Culp wasn’t exaggerating when he called the deserter Whalen “the worst sort of varmint.” Whalen’s cowardice caused Bucky’s best friend to be wounded at Antietam, and now the rascal brought shame on the whole regiment by attacking the farm girl Sarah Pfaff. Little did Bucky realize when he rescued Sarah that soon she would fill a major void in his life.

When the men and boys of the Bucktail Regiment enlisted in 1861, they envisioned a glorious, heroic masterstroke that would end the war in short order. Now, more than a year and four vicious battles later, they were squared off against the Rebels at Antietam Creek. Although the Union forces fought tenaciously in the cornfield at Bloody Lane, and at Burnside Bridge, the best they could secure was a costly stalemate. The steely Bucktails, though, captured some good from the tragedy by maintaining their much-tested resolve.

“The thing I really like about the Bucktail novel series is that the authors give a real sense of the day-to-day life of the Civil War, without lecturing. It'll be an eye opener for many kids to realize that it wasn't all fighting but lots of sitting around, eating lousy food, and pointless marches.”

Gary Miller, PBS Educational Content Developer

“As an educator, I see the Bucktail novel series as an excellent teaching tool for middle school social studies. Not only is it readable (very important) and accurate, it also gives the student plenty of everyday details on how the people who fought the war lived...a highly useable and recommended resource.”

G.W. Thomas, Canadian Educator, Author, and Editor