[1] The novel, illustrated by David Hendrickson, was first published in 1933 and was a Newbery Honor recipient in 1934.
[2] In 1859, 12-year-old John Deane is living with his family in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, where he is friends with Nicholas, a black servant, with whom he is training a colt.
He learns that his father is a conductor on the Underground Railroad, and he visits Harper's Ferry where he witnesses John Brown's raid.
When the war reaches Pennsylvania, Deane's house is seized by the Confederates, and he is locked in the cellar.
Deane later joins the Union Army, where he witnesses the final events of the American Civil War.