Anyone who has read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer or been fascinated by the Civil War will be enthralled by Tom's adventures in this novel. A graduate of West Point, Tom develops a friendship with Hiram Ulysses Grant. He is commissioned a major in the U.S. Army and commands a regiment under Colonel Cameron of the 79th New York at Manassas. Severely wounded, he spends time recuperating in Galena, Illinois. Together Tom and Rebecca discover a plot to kill General Grant. Tom is led into the nerve-racking world of undercover operations against the Confederacy. He finds the spy business another grand adventure.