Abstract:
“Drumbeats in the Valley” is a coming-of-age story set in what has become the nation’s oldest private military college. In 1838, eighteen-year-old Ben Walker leaves New Jersey to attend Norwich University, in Vermont. Before long he runs afoul of a fellow cadet who is also a pro-slavery southerner and a radical proponent of states' rights. Later Ben is asked to mentor a shy new student with a history of being bullied at private boarding schools in England. Despite many ups and downs during his three years as a cadet, Ben never loses sight of his goal of successfully completing his studies.