The Deserter, and Other Stories: A Book of Two Wars

In Short

This collection presents four distinct narratives set against the backdrop of two cataclysmic conflicts: the American Civil War and England’s Wars of the Roses. While the settings span centuries, the focus remains stubbornly fixed on the human cost of violence—specifically the lives of young men caught in the grinding gears of history. Through stories of desertion, survival, and the quiet power of literacy amidst chaos, the book examines how individuals struggle to maintain their humanity when the world around them is broken by blood and iron.

The Story

The collection begins with "The Deserter," a somber look at the American Civil War as it touches a remote Adirondack homestead. Mose Whipple, driven by the desperate need to save his starving, elderly father, returns home from the front as a fugitive. His quiet life in the woods is a state of perpetual tension, underscored by the constant threat of bounty hunters and the stinging shame of his brand as a deserter. His young neighbor, Job, becomes his secret protector, eventually taking up the work of the farm and, in doing so, maturing into the man of the house. Though Mose never finds a way to truly shed the weight of his choice, the story concludes with a weary sense of resolution; the war passes, and the farm thrives under Job’s capable hands, proving that life persists even in the wake of dishonor.

The subsequent stories expand this focus on the displaced and the vulnerable. "A Day in the Wilderness" follows Lafe, a boy caught in the terrifying, confusing thicket of the Virginia woods during a battle. His unlikely partnership with a German soldier, Foldeen, provides a fleeting but poignant study in survival. They move through the "Valley of Death," navigating the gruesome debris of the front lines to find food and, eventually, a fragile safety.

The historical narratives shift to medieval England, beginning with "How Dickon Came by His Name." Dickon, a peasant boy, escapes the brutality of a cruel master and finds an unlikely companion in Andreas, a young German printer’s apprentice fleeing the violence of civil war. Together, they navigate the treacherous, war-torn countryside. In a moment of striking, desperate kindness, Dickon fashions a makeshift Christmas tree from forest boughs for the dying Andreas, a quiet act of grace that contrasts sharply with the armored men who hunt them.

The final story, "Where Avon into Severn Flows," brings the collection to the aftermath of the Battle of Tewkesbury. Hugh, a young scrivener at the local Abbey, finds himself entangled in the affairs of a knight, Sir Hereward, and a clever woman, Lady Kate, whose secrets and ambitions are laid bare by the arrival of the Duke of Gloster. As the dust settles on the battlefield, the survivors are forced to navigate the new political reality. The narrative closes with the Duke taking an interest in Hugh, recognizing that in a "rude, topsy-turvy world," it is the literate and the observant who truly possess the tools for survival.

How It Unfolds

The hidden soldier Mose returns home to an isolated farm to care for his dying father, transforming his identity from a soldier to a ghost in the woods. His neighbor, young Job, unwittingly becomes the anchor of the household, stepping into the void left by the older men.

The valley of struggle Lafe navigates the suffocating, tangled underbrush of a Virginia battlefield, where the enemy is often invisible and the terrain is a labyrinth. His meeting with Foldeen turns a solitary struggle into a shared quest for bread and survival in the middle of a slaughterhouse.

The flight for freedom Dickon and Andreas discard the symbols of their former servitude, striking out into the English greenwood with nothing but their wits. Their journey toward an uncertain future is defined by a deep, unspoken bond forged in the shadow of war.

The scribe's perspective Hugh, a quiet boy in a monastery, becomes an accidental witness to the high-stakes games of nobles during the Wars of the Roses. As the violence of the battlefield spills into the town, his ability to record the truth becomes his ticket to a wider world.

The People

Mose Whipple is the archetypal soldier whose heart belongs to his home, yet whose actions have branded him an outcast. His father, Asa, represents the fragility of the civilian caught in the war's wake, his life hanging by a thread until his son’s return. Job is the steadying force of the book; he begins as a boy seeking direction and ends as the cornerstone of his community, proving that resilience is often found in the quiet labor of daily life.

Lafe and Foldeen serve as foils in the chaos of battle. Lafe is young, impressionable, and driven by basic physical needs, while Foldeen brings a cynical, worldly wisdom that helps them endure the horrors of the wilderness. Together, they represent the common soldier, stripped of glory and left with only the instinct to endure.

Dickon is a character defined by a fierce, youthful desire for autonomy. He sheds the "badge" of his master, literally and figuratively, to define his own path. Andreas, his companion, is the vulnerable intellectual, whose presence forces Dickon to find a tenderness he otherwise might have suppressed. Finally, Hugh, the scrivener, embodies the power of the observer. Surrounded by armored knights and powerful princes, he remains the most vital figure because he possesses the skill to capture the world in words.

In Its Own Voice

The prose frequently captures the haunting, rustic atmosphere of the Adirondacks during the winter months.

It was the coldest morning of the winter, thus far, and winter is no joke on those northern tablelands, where the streams still run black in token of their forest origin.

The tension of war is often rendered through the physical sensory details of the soldiers' environment.

In this gloomy and sinister wilderness men did not know where they were, nor whom they were fighting.

The book also demonstrates a keen eye for the quiet, small-scale acts of compassion that occur in the shadow of great conflicts.

Look your fill at it, for boar's fat never yet was tallow, and the rushes are short-lived.

What It's Really About

At its core, this book argues that war is a corrosive force that devalues the individual, forcing them into roles of servitude or survival that they never sought. It explores the tension between the "badge"—the social, political, or military label imposed upon a person—and the essential self. The characters are constantly trying to reconcile their actions with their conscience, often finding that the only meaningful resistance to war’s brutality is the preservation of simple, human connection. The themes of literacy, record-keeping, and memory emerge as the ultimate tools for reclaiming one’s story from the violent, impersonal forces of history. It asks whether a person can ever truly be free, or if the marks left by war and servitude are permanent.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate a deliberate, atmospheric pace will find much to admire in these pages. The book does not rush to its conclusions; it lingers on the texture of a frozen morning in the Adirondacks or the dim, candle-lit quiet of a monastery. It is a work of deep empathy, written with a steady hand that refuses to sensationalize the violence it depicts.

Those who enjoy historical fiction will be struck by how effectively the author bridges the gap between the American Civil War and the Wars of the Roses, highlighting the recurring patterns of human displacement and struggle. However, modern readers should be prepared for the period-specific dialect used in the American stories, which can be challenging, and the stark, sometimes harsh attitudes of characters living in unforgiving times. The book does not offer easy comfort or neat moral conclusions; instead, it offers a window into the lives of the "unlettered" and the "outcast," centering those who are usually relegated to the footnotes of history. It stays with you not because of its grand battle scenes, but because of the small, defiant acts of love—like a makeshift Christmas tree in the woods—that persist even when the world seems determined to burn.