Rifles for Watie is a children's novel by American writer Harold Keith. It was first published in 1957, and received the Newbery Medal the following year. Set during the American Civil War, the plot revolves around the fictional sixteen-year-old Jefferson Davis Bussey, who is caught up in the events of history. Actual historical personages (e.g. Generals Stand Watie and James G. Blunt) and battles (e.g. Wilson's Creek and Prairie Grove) are seen from the viewpoint of an ordinary soldier, enabled by the choice of protagonist. Harold Keith spent many years interviewing Civil War veterans and visiting the sites depicted in the book, resulting in an authenticity that is rare for historical fiction that targets a young adult audience. The setting, west of the Mississippi, is also not typical of Civil War novels, so the reader gets a perspective on the war not generally available in other books, let alone one found in children's books. Plot summary Amidst an ongoing guerilla war pro-slavery bushwackers raid the Bussey farm in Linn County, Kansas in spring 1861, leading 16-year-old Jefferson Davis Bussey to leave for Fort Leavenworth to enlist in the U.S. Army as a volunteer for the Union. Several friends of his also join him on the way, each of them leaving their homes and farms to fight against the rebelling slave states. Jeff instantly takes a mutual dislike to a career officer, Captain Asa Clardy, whose ruthless and abrasive personality make him both feared and hated by his men. Despite Clardy's vindictiveness Jeff takes to military life, eager to assist in winning the war for the Union. Jeff's regiment soon marches off from Leavenworth to fight, but despite his eagerness to fight, Jeff is repeatedly pulled away for various details and misses several battles. On one such occasion, Jeff resentfully confronts Clardy and taunts him, prompting a warning from fellow volunteer Noah Babbitt, an itinerant printer whom Jeff looks up to for his wisdom and years of experience. Jeff finally sees combat for the first time in the Battle of Prairie Grove; in the chaos following a charge against Confederate infantry, Noah and Jeff aid an undermanned Union artillery battery that is in danger of being overrun, firing one of the cannons as Confederate troops attempt to overrun the battery's position. A few days later, Jeff and Noah receive the Medal of Honor for their valor during the battle. During the