Our Fellows; Or, Skirmishes with the Swamp Dragoons

"Our Fellows; Or, Skirmishes with the Swamp Dragoons" by Harry Castlemon is an adventure novel likely written in the late 19th century. The story follows the lives of two brothers, Joseph and Mark Coleman, in a rural Mississippi setting where they navigate various youthful escapades alongside their friends. Themes of friendship, courage, and the challenges of adolescence in a largely untamed landscape resonate throughout the narrative. At the start of the book, we are introduced to Joseph and Mark, twin brothers who are nearly indistinguishable from one another. They live on a plantation in Warren County and share a strong bond with their friends, known as "our fellows." The opening chapters describe their close-knit group and a series of early conflicts involving local adversaries and encounters with the wild, including a reckless Indian intruder at their home. The action quickly escalates as their adventures lead them to confront imminent dangers—from animals in the wilderness to adversities presented by rival peers—setting the stage for a tale filled with excitement and camaraderie. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Austin Fosdick, better known by his nom de plume Harry Castlemon, was a prolific writer of juvenile stories and novels, intended mainly for boys. He was born in Randolph, New York, and received a high school diploma from Central High School in Buffalo, New York. He served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War, acting as the receiver and superintendent of coal for the Mississippi River Squadron. Fosdick had begun to write as a teenager, and drew on his experiences serving in the Navy in such early novels as Frank on a Gunboat (1864) and Frank on the Lower Mississippi (1867). He soon became the most-read author for boys in the post-Civil War era, the golden age of children's literature.