"A consistently compelling read from beginning to end, Friends of the Wigwam: A Civil War Story is a deftly written work of fiction that is quite accurately factual in background details...very highly recommended for community library General Fiction collections and for the personal reading lists of Civil War Enthusiasts."    - Midwest Book ReviewFRIENDS OF THE WIGWAM is a historical novel and love story about six young friends whose innocence is stripped from them seemingly overnight in the brutal setting of the American Civil War. Meticulously researched and based on real-life people and true events, FRIENDS OF THE WIGWAM spans 1857-1865 and introduces you to the courageous men and women from Illinois who staged one of the first contested national conventions, were responsible for getting Abraham Lincoln elected and made the ultimate sacrifice during the American Civil War. From the true story of a young woman who successfully masqueraded as a man during the Civil War and was buried with full military honors to the often heart-wrenching letters home to wives and families and actual military correspondence between military leaders, author John William Huelskamp brings to life a volatile nation at war.Celebrate each friend's successes and struggles on the battlefields, learn the story of those who led the battles, and meet a magnificent war-horse that is a steadfast survivor in the face of many tragedies.Without at doubt, FRIENDS OF THE WIGWAM is one of the most moving Civil War novels you will ever read.*** A WGN Emmy Award nominee news video on this fascinating Civil War novel can be viewed at friendsofthewigwam.com***