Twelve-year-old Will wants to be a drummer in the Union army, but he's stuck far from the fighting in his sleepy hometown of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Then the Union and Confederate armies meet in Gettysburg, and Will and his family are caught up in the ferocious fighting. From delivering important messages and helping captured slaves escape Confederate soldiers to even saving a young soldier's life, Will takes readers on a journey through one of the Civil War's most significant battles. And when the fighting is finally over, Will witnesses President Lincoln deliver his famous Gettysburg Address, and he knows firsthand the truth behind his words.