Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt

First published: 1964

Type of work: Historical fiction

Themes: War, family, and coming-of-age

Time of work: April, 1861, to April, 1865

Recommended Ages: 10-13

Locale: Jasper County, in southern Illinois

Principal Characters:

• Jethro Hallam Creighton, the youngest of twelve children, who must run the family farm when war breaks out
• Matthew Creighton, Jethro’s father, a well-respected and hardworking man
• Ellen Creighton, Jethro’s mother, a woman who has drawn strength from her family throughout her hard life
• Jenny Elizabeth Creighton, Jethro’s hardworking older sister, who is in love with Shadrach Yale
• Shadrach Yale, the local schoolteacher, who recognizes the complexities of the issues leading to war

The Story

Across Five Aprils combines a compelling story of a young man growing up with a history lesson, the reader looking over Jethro Creighton’s shoulder as he follows the U.S. Civil War through letters and newspaper accounts. This meticulously researched novel begins with speculation that war might be declared and ends just after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination; in between, Jethro learns that war is not the exciting and romantic adventure he imagined.

Jethro is nine years old as the novel opens, living with his extended family on a farm in southern Illinois. Although their life is hard, the Creightons are a loving family, drawing strength from one another. In this part of the country, all the talk is of war. Most local people favor the Union but have family ties to the South. As Jethro listens to the adults discuss the possibility of war, he hears something of both sides of the issues of slavery and industrialization that divide the nation. Late one night, the local schoolteacher, Shadrach Yale, brings the news that the Confederates have fired upon Fort Sumter. War is declared soon after, and the people of the North cheer, believing that it will be short and decisive for their side. As battle after battle rages and more men die, the talk becomes more solemn.

Jethro’s brother Tom and cousin Eb leave to fight that summer. Bill, the brother to whom Jethro is closest, exchanges blows with the oldest brother, John, and also leaves to fight—for the South. The Creightons respect Bill’s decision, which they know to have been carefully made. Still, the thought of their sons fighting on opposite sides of the war is painful. As months go by, letters from the boys indicate how brutal war is. Shadrach encourages Jethro to continue his education by following the accounts of the war in the newspapers—advice Jethro takes, although the reading is difficult for him at first. Soon Shadrach and John, too, have gone to fight.

With the older sons gone, Jethro takes on more responsibility at home. On his first trip to town alone, he is nearly attacked by a small group of rowdy townsmen, who resent the family because of Bill’s defection to the South. These men continue to threaten the Creightons, finally setting fire to their barn. When Jethro’s father, Matt, suffers a heart attack, Jethro takes on all the farm work, assisted by neighbors, who rally to the family’s aid.

The war continues. Tom is killed, and Eb runs away in a moment of panic. To help Eb, Jethro writes to President Lincoln, who orders the army to pardon deserters if they return to their units. Shadrach is injured, and Jenny travels to Washington to care for him and to become his wife. Slowly, the North gains ground and finally wins the war. Peace comes, and surviving soldiers return home, but happiness is shattered again when Lincoln is assassinated. Jethro is able to deal constructively with this pain, however, because the war years have given him wisdom and strength.

Context

Although not as well known as the Newbery Medal-winning Up a Road Slowly (1966), Across Five Aprils is an important part of the Irene Hunt canon. Together, the two novels have something to offer young boys and girls: Up a Road Slowly traces the development from girl to young woman, as Across Five Aprils takes Jethro from boy to young man. That is not to say that either novel is limited in its appeal to only one gender; both deal with themes important and interesting to both boys and girls.

In its concern with Jethro’s maturation, Across Five Aprils might be compared with other Bildungsromane, such as Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (1847), Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield (1850), and Johanna Spyri’s Heidis Lehr-und Wanderjahre (1880; Heidi, 1884). There is an important difference, however: Unlike Jane, David, and Heidi, Jethro makes his explorations of the world from within the shelter of a loving family. While he occasionally feels, as all adolescents do, that he is not fully understood by his family, he is secure in knowing that they support him. This assurance makes his inner conflicts perhaps less dramatic than those of the others, even as the external conflict of the war is more injurious than what they encounter.

Across Five Aprils is especially important for its presentation of the historical details—and the emotional impact—of the U.S. Civil War. Essential to the story of Jethro and his family, the accounts of battles and generals and issues are readable and entertaining, even for young people who are “not interested in history.” Ultimately, this success at making important and complex issues accessible is Hunt’s greatest achievement.