As her family hides in a cave during a Civil War battle, a girl faces a difficult choice in this ';thoroughly researched and enjoyable historical novel' (Booklist). Claire Louise Corbett and her Confederate family flee their home as Union soldiers shell their town of Vicksburg, Mississippi. They venture out from the safety of a cave only three times a daywhen the Union army takes their meals at eight in the morning, noon, and eight at night. But while many of the townspeople suffer from a lack of food, the Corbetts receive extra rations from Claire Louise's brother, Landon, a doctor with the Union army. When Claire Louise discovers her brother tending to a Confederate soldier who was responsible for the South's defeat at the Battle of Antietam, she is forced to make a difficult choicein this story of family, courage, and secrets during the forty-seven-day siege of Vicksburg, which also includes an epilogue, author's note, and bibliography. ';A good choice for fans of historical fiction, particularly the Civil War era.'School Library Journal ';The family members are vividly portrayed individuals and their relationships are particularly well drawn.'Booklist
