Since a young age, I have always fancied himself a skilled reader. However, like most children, my transition from reading children's books to reading more advanced novels was an intimidating one. Thankfully, my first experience with a young adult book was Mr. Lincoln's Drummer by G. Clifton Wisler, and it is this novel which I credit for developing my love for reading which still exists today. Throughout my childhood, I spent hours reading this book until I had nearly the whole thing committed to memory. Without a doubt, Mr. Lincoln's Drummer has been the most powerful literary influence in my life.
First, the most significant aspect of my life that was influenced by Wisler's novel was my maturity. This book first introduced me to adult themes and topics which are often avoided in children's books, such as romance, violence, and most notably, death. Perhaps my first worldly experience with death was found in the book's third chapter, where one of the main character's closest friends is killed in a civil war battle. Subsequently, the character's all displayed the emotions associated with loss, such as sadness and depression. At this point in my life, I had never been exposed to such things, and thus Mr. Lincoln's Drummer helped immensely to advance my emotional maturity. Doubtless, my parents were also pleased that I received this socialization at such a young age.
In addition, Mr. Lincoln's Drummer was vital in developing my passion for history, which still exists today and continues to shape my everyday life. Told from a soldier's first person perspective during the heart of the Civil War, this novel does an excellent job of making the past come alive, and it was an experience I reveled in as a child. Even today, having read many more, better written historical fiction novels, Mr. Lincoln's Drummer still provides the most detailed description of a time period. This book is almost solely responsible for creating my love for history and politics, which I have focused my studies on for the past few years, and I plan to continue on this track in college. Therefore, one of my greatest passions in life was influenced by Mr. Lincoln's Drummer.
In addition, the literary elements of this book are very interesting. In my opinion, the aspect of Mr. Lincoln’s Drummer which sets it apart from other novels is the depth of character development. In a short one hundred and thirty-one pages, I was able to develop a deep, personal connection with multiple characters on an emotional level, especially with the main character Willie Johnson. Throughout the book, it is common for a character to go from overjoyed to devastated and from bold to terrified in just a few pages, which allows me to feel a true connection with the character, which in turn makes the novel considerably more enjoyable.
However, there are also many literary elements of the book which I now look back on and realize were not well developed in comparison to many other more advanced books. For example, one major weakness of the plot is that it leaves many questions unanswered. Throughout the story, characters are introduced and issues are raised, but never resolved. For instance, early in the book the reader meets Jeb Stuart, a confederate soldier who befriends Willie, the main character and a Union soldier. While playing a central role in the plot throughout the initial chapters, Jeb disappears somewhere near the middle and his story is never completed. To this day, I wonder how this character's story ends.
Likewise, another flaw of the book’s development lies in the lack of background knowledge which is provided. Many historical events, places, and people are introduced with little to no explanation, and this occurrence often left me confused as a child. For instance, references to Bull Run and General McClellan are used multiple times throughout the book, and often left me running to Wikipedia to find out information I may have been missing. While it is possible that this was the author’s intention, to leave some things open to interpretation, it undoubtedly took away from my enjoyment of the book. Even today, now that my knowledge of the Civil War is considerably increased, I believe some more information is necessary in this book to make an ideal reading experience.
Therefore, without Mr. Lincoln’s Drummer, my childhood development would have been severely diminished. This book was tremendously influential in advancing my emotional maturity by introducing me to adult themes such as violence and death. Also, this book was influential in developing my love for history, which continues to affect my life everyday. Despite some literary flaws, this book continues to be one of my favorite novels of all time.
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