Review of “Red Cap,” by G. Clifton Wisler

“Red Cap,” by G. Clifton Wisler is a historical fiction novel based on the life of a boy who lived during the American Civil War.

At the age of thirteen Ransom left home against his family’s wishes to join the Civil War. At first the Union Army wouldn’t accept him, but after lying about his age Ransom was finally accepted into the army as a drummer boy.

“Red Cap” does a good job of showing the reasons why most young boys left home to join the Civil War. Most of the youngsters around Ransom joined the army just to get away from home or to be with their friends. None of them are prepared for the reality of war.

After a few successful engagements, Ransom and most of his regiment are captured as prisoners by Confederate troops. They are taken by train to Camp Sumter, a prison camp in Georgia. Deep in the heart of Confederate territory they have little chance of surviving if they try to escape. But inside the camp survival is also a desperate thing. As diseases spread through the camp and food rations become more and more scarce the prisoners inside Camp Sumter start to die, one by one.

When a Confederate guard offers Ransom a job outside the camp, serving as a drummer boy for an enemy regiment, Ransom is hesitant at first. He doesn’t want to help “the enemy.” But he soon comes to realize that the “Rebels” outside the camp are just boys like him. Before long Ransom becomes a key go-between in Camp Sumter. Not only can he use his connections to get more food to his friends in camp, but he can also smuggle in maps showing escape routes back North. Ransom’s new job is an extremely dangerous one, for any suspicion on the part of the Confederate officers will return him to confinement in the prison camp.

I found G. Clifton Wisler’s novel to be of good quality. “Red Cap” is very well researched, with an epilogue about the life of the real person who was Ransom. Wisler’s research also comes through in his detailed accounts of life during the Civil War. However, the character relationships in “Red Cap” are transitory at best. The very nature of the book means that Ransom’s friends seem to die off before the reader can really get to know them. As a result, “Red Cap” misses a depth of feeling that could have been tapped from its storyline. However, I would still recommend “Red Cap” as a well-written historical novel.

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