Summary

Upon hearing of the burning of his barn, men came from all over the county, helping to clean the debris and promising to help him raise a new barn, while others brought equipment, offered to work the fields, or do other things that needed to be done.

Meanwhile the news of a battle at Shiloh comes through to the county as Illinois boys who had been wounded there returned to their homes during the months of May and June.

One of the wounded, who was there when it happened, tells the Creightons that Tom died at Shiloh. Ross Milton uses the tragedy as a backdrop for a letter, published in his paper, and addressed to the people who burned the Creighton’s barn and put oil in his well.

Jenny writes Tom’s name in the ledger of births, deaths, and marriages they keep in the family Bible.

Later that summer, Sam Gardiner, the proprietor of the general store in Newton, anticipates trouble at the hands of Guy Wortman, the man who had harassed Jethro. Wortman was suspected of having robbed other stores in town. Gardiner sets a trap; he closes the store and pretends to be going out of town, but actually lays in wait for Wortman inside of his store.

Gardiner catches Wortman inside of his store, and shoots him in the buttocks with buckshot. Humiliated, and losing the respect even of his friends, Wortman causes no further trouble.

Meanwhile, Jethro reflects on the state of leadership in the Union army, worrying that the Union generals care more about personal prestige than in defeating the Confederates.

In Chapters 6 and 7, Jethro’s transformation into a man continues with a heightened sense of urgency. After his father suffers a heart attack, Jethro had little choice but to become the man of the house or let everyone down.

Working the fields,  and burdened by the worries of war, Jethro’s hands and his mind are kept busy with adult responsibilities. It is no coincidence that Matt’s heart attack occurred just as the war was getting particularly bad, for his heart attack mirrors the turmoil that is going on inside him.

The animosity of Guy Wortman toward the Creightons is cruel, and when brings it home to them, he robs the family of the only solace they had, a sense of security in their own home.

By the time the Creightons learn of Tom’s death, they had come to accept that one of more members of the family would be lost in the war. Besides, they are no strangers to death; with Tom, they had lost five children.

The war effort parallels the Creighton’s situation at home, going from bad to worse. The reputations of Union generals rise and fall with every battle, as do their commands, while public opinion follows.

At this point in the story, there is no one clear hero. Matt is too old, tired, and ill. Tom has shown the courage of his convictions, but he has been gone from the story for quite some time. Jethro, the protagonist, is perhaps too young.

The nation is also in need of a hero, as public opinion forms around one general after another, even as the people know very little about any of them. Public opinion is fickle, as are the policies that govern the nature of the war.

Jethro wonders who will arise to fill the void.