This book was about a 14 year old boy named Stephen Bartow, who was a drummer boy in the 14th regiment during the Civil War. Before reading this story, I had heard about drummer boys of course. But I never really thought about them as real people, who were more than just their duty. Stephen was from Brooklyn New York and fought in 22 battles, including Gettysburg. He joined the army in 1862 and served 3 years as a drummer boy. He and the other soldiers were called "Red Legs" because of the color of their uniform. Drummer boys like Stephen were responsible for sounding the assembly and keeping the rhythm while soldiers marched. During the battle, they stayed to the rear as they were considered too young to march into the battle. I learned that even though Stephen survived the Civil War, 100,000 children like him did not.

Stephen died in 1901 at his home in New York. ( )

“Red Legs” is about a drummer boy in the Civil War. This story takes off when the reader is introduced to Stephen, the drummer boy. Lewis gives background as to what is the meaning behind Red Legs is and how the men start the morning before battle. Lewis uses this time to allow us to imagine that Stephen is actually narrating his experience during the Civil War. The letter Stephen composes in his mind leads the reader to believe this story is happening. When in the end the reader finds out this book is about a reenactment of the Civil War. Yet, Stephen once was an actual boy who was a part of the Red Legs. In the real life version of this story Stephen is not shot, and lives to be 65. I have heard of people who go to drastic measures to reenact battles to pay honor to those who lost their lives and fought for the United States. This book shows that even children young as nine were sent out to the Civil War and even died there. Lewis shows a different side of the war in his book, I would have never thought about the little drummer boy who was terrified of war but forced to be brave. The pictures come alive with color and the text is bold and black. ( )

This book is about a drummer boy and his thoughts. The fighting of the civil war has just began on American soil. This young boy has a lot to say about the things he sees.

In this story, readers' are led to believe that the narrator is telling the story from his own experience of the Civil War. The narrator explains how his day goes He then tells of how his group of drummer boys march up to a battle. Readers get the sense that the drummer boy has been shot and killed. Much to everyones surprise the drummer boy is not dead. Everyone that took part in the war is doing a re-enactment of the Civil War. Lewin, explains that reenactors like to be called, living historians. They dress up in uniforms and use real guns and fake blood. At the end of the book we are informed that the whole story was based off of a real person, Stephen Benjamin Bartow. This is a great story to read to students when explaining different roles people play in wars. ( )

Red Legs gives a good portrait of the young boys that marched as drummer boys during the U.S. Civil War. It gets gloomy when the main character is shot in battle. Then come the twist, it's a reenactment. I enjoyed the twist. ( )