JUNE 1863...Battle-weary soldiers are pouring into the small town of Gettysburg, to the vast enjoyment of the local insect population, who view it as a grand parade. But when three Rebs raid a Yankee farmhouse, setting off a deadly chain of events, everyone's world, insect and human alike, goes ballistic. In this fast-moving, surprisingly droll tale, you will encounter some folks who view the Civil War from a slightly different viewpoint than the history books. Meet Beverly Tremblestems, a cigarette-smoking mosquito who refuses to suck blood on ethical grounds; Jonah Stills, a peace-loving guitar genius who marches off to war to preserve his family's good name; Wilma, a blues-singing black widow torn between her spider nature and a desire to be kind; Harlan Buckner, the rogue who enlisted for hard cash, quickly spent; Ancient Bill, a mosquito guru whose high-flying theories fail to save him from his passions; Corporal Runyon, the Yank with a running commentary on everything from the Greek warriors of Rome to the Chinamen of Japan; Tulip, the little girl who dreams of riding a giant's shoulders to watch the fighting she can hear but cannot see; and Robert E. Lee, the brilliant general who watches his luck and his dream unravel before his eyes.