Shadrach is planning to leave to go to a neighboring town to receive news about the dispute between the North and the South. Ellen worries that he will bring back news of war. As they are working in the field, Jethro tries to distract his mother by telling her about Copernicus, but he knows that nothing can make her forget about the troubles. Talk of Abraham Lincoln's election, issues of tariffs, free states, slave

The papers predict the end is near-seaports and railroads have been cut off, and many southerners are starving. A letter from Eb echoes the papers and announces his intentions to come home and help Jethro in the fields. However, the war persists, soldiers from each side dying, the South refusing to give up.

In the following months Jethro has to assume many of the responsibilities his father can no longer handle, including working the fields. One day when Jethro is in the fields, his neighbor Ed Turner stops by and tells him of a bad fight in which Grant's army was surprise-attacked. Ed says that more than 12,000 Union soldiers were killed and says he hopes they hear from Tom or Eb soon. Jenny and Jethro talk about the battle, and Jethro notes that every time the Union army does not lose badly to the South, they call it a victory. They speculate about how Grant could have been taken by surprise and whether Grant is another general that will fall down through the ranks.

The next morning, after a sleepless night, Ellen notices that Matt looks pale and sick. Matt says he is fine and wants to go into town looking for the man that tried to hurt Jethro. Ellen suggests that he stop at the Burdows to thank Mr. Burdow for his help. A few minutes after Matt leaves, Ellen hears a noise and goes outside. Matt is lying on the ground, having suffered a heart attack. The doctors are able to revive him, but "the vigorous, erect Matt Creighton was gone."

That afternoon Ellen tells Jethro that he should go visit with Shadrach and spend the night before Shadrach leaves for the service. She also wants Shadrach to read Tom's letter. Jethro and Jenny talk later, and Jenny bemoans the fact that Matt will not let her marry Shadrach before he leaves. Jethro makes the frigid walk to Shadrach's, and they warm up dinner and talk. Shadrach echoes Jenny's sentiments about wanting to get married and admits that he is worried that after he leaves he will not have the chance to marry her.

Jethro and Jenny become close, working in the fields together and talking. One day Jenny receives a letter from Shadrach Yale, and Jethro wants to read it. Most of the letter is personal, however, and Jenny only reads portions of it to the rest of the family. Jethro is hurt and angry, but during a visit Nancy tells him not to be upset and explains that sometimes when someone writes words meant for only one other person, they should not be shared. Nancy talks about how John probably is not fighting yet, but still training, and how she cannot sleep when she thinks of the battles to come. Later that night, Jenny confronts Jethro about being angry with her and offers to let him read the rest of the letter. Jethro declines and forgives her.

President Lincoln gets his party's nomination for president, and Milton predicts, "Lincoln will win. When it comes to the final vote, the country will not admit that its sons have died for nothing." They learn that one of the Union navies sunk a Confederate war ship and that the armies were closing in on Mobile, Alabama. Soon after, General Sherman reports that they have taken Atlanta as well. The North was close to victory and that fall Lincoln is reelected.

Everyone is still wondering where Sherman's army is. People take solace in Grant's trust in Sherman, but others worry that he is crazy. Suddenly, in December, Sherman wires Washington telling them that he marched from Atlanta to the ocean and wanted to present the "city of Savannah as a Christmas gift." A few weeks later, stories of Sherman's march begin to circulate-they army had ransacked farms, eating all the food and burning everything in sight. Some people think that Sherman's army only gave the south what they deserve, but others think the behavior is cruel and unwarranted.

The men of the county help the Creightons build a new barn, and Mr. Burdow sends up a shipment of wood and logs. Ross Milton tells Jethro that Mr. Burdow has been accepted into the community

Some common words found in the essay are:
Tom Eb, Ross Milton, Yale Jethro, South Carolina, Abraham Lincoln's, Burdow Travis's, Matt Creighton, Shadrach Bill, Eb Eb, Nancy John's, tom eb, tells jethro, ross milton, matt creighton, sherman's army, letter shadrach, travis burdow, jethro leaves, home jethro, southern illinois, burdow tells jethro, neighbor ed turner, help jethro fields, jethro feels sorry, milton warns jethro,
Approximate Word count = 5039
Approximate Pages = 20 (250 words per page double spaced)