Book Description

The Civil War is finally over, and the survivors have returned to their lives to try to rebuild. There was very little time for rest and relaxation. Nothing can be truer for the people of the small country town of Mystic. However, something has come to Mystic with the survivors...a game called Base Ball. For many years the people of Mystic have indulged themselves in various kinds of stick-and-ball games...everything from cricket to rounders, to something called Muffin Ball, but none of the games were ever popular enough to become organized...until Base Ball. As the residents of Mystic struggle establish their own Base Ball club, they discover that Base Ball is taking over the nation by storm. With a faithful group of town leaders, a retired Judge, and several veterans, Mystic finds that it is ahead of the storm, instead of getting caught up in it. As the town team forms, and a simple league with other small towns is established, the Mystic town folk enjoy watching their very own team playing this "city game" their way...making mistakes, fumbling over the bases, and arguing with...everyone, the people of Mystic become a true base ball town. Then when captain of the Drummers contacts the Mystic team with a request to come to Mystic to play a fun exhibition game on the Fourth of July, the initial thought was one of reservation...the Drummers were a traveling team of colored players. to the people of Mystic, a town that sided with the Northern Union forces, the prospect of playing a colored "barnstorming" team was cause to celebrate a game that changed the town of Mystic forever.