Night Journey to Vicksburg (Adventures in America)

"Night Journey to Vicksburg" by Susan Rowan Masters takes place in the spring of 1863 during the American Civil War. It is the story of 13-year-old Jubilee and his two younger sisters, May Belle and Anna, who flee their Louisiana plantation in search of freedom. Their older friend, Henry Long, wakes Jubi one April night to tell him that he and his sisters are to be sold the next day, most likely to different owners. He brings them new clothes and a small amount of food, drawing a map in the dirt floor of their shack to show them how to escape. Along the way, the three runaways are tormented by mosquitoes, discovered by Rebel soldiers, and adopted by a lost dog. Jubi saves the life of a wounded Union officer, Lieutenant Dunlap, by bandaging a serious gunshot wound in his leg. The officer asks Jubi to bring crucial information to General Grant about a safe landing spot for Union ships. Jubi travels over five miles to deliver the information and is rewarded with fr! eedom, proper care and nourishment, and a family name.