Across Five Aprils

by

Irene Hunt

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Across Five Aprils makes teaching easy.
Ross Milton edits the Jasper County newspaper, and he is a friend to the Creighton family. Ross suffers from debilitating arthritis, and his ability to continue with his life nevertheless—even chaperoning Jenny Creighton on a punishing train journey to Washington, D.C.—shows how hardship and suffering need not prevent a person from living a meaningful life. While Milton disagrees with Bill’s decision to join the Confederate Army, he is a conscientious man who can still appreciate Bill’s thoughtfulness, and the way Jethro defends Bill against Guy Wortman. Milton also values education, and he gives young Jethro and Jenny a grammar book that he wrote to help them improve their English while Shad is away at war. As the years pass, Milton becomes an important mentor to Jethro, helping him to make sense of the war and its consequences.

Ross Milton Quotes in Across Five Aprils

The Across Five Aprils quotes below are all either spoken by Ross Milton or refer to Ross Milton. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“If the editor of the county paper ain’t against freedom of speech, could I jest put one more question to this young ’un?” Without waiting for a reply, the man called Wortman turned again to Jethro. “What I want to ask you is this: is yore pa good and down on Bill? Does he teach you your brother is a skunk that deserves shootin’ for goin’ against his country?”

Jethro felt a great weakness. He had to steady himself against the counter for a second, and when he spoke the words were the first ones that occurred to him.

“My pa don’t teach me one way or the other. He knows that I think more of my brother than anybody else in the world—no matter where he is. And that’s all I’ve got to say to you.” He looked directly at the man with an anger that dissipated his weakness.

Related Characters: Jethro Creighton (speaker), Guy Wortman (speaker), Ross Milton, Bill Creighton, Matthew Creighton
Page Number: 78-79
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

Has justice been done, gentlemen? Has an ailing man who commands the respect of those in this county who recognize integrity—has this man suffered enough to satisfy your patriotic zeal?

May I remind you that Tom Creighton died for the Union cause, that he died in battle, where a man fights his opponent face to face rather than striking and scuttling off into the darkness?

And just in passing, Gentlemen, what have you done lately for the Union cause? Of course you have burned a man’s property—barn, farm implements, hay, and grain; you have polluted his well with coal oil and terrified his family. Furthermore, you have done it quietly, under cover of darkness, never once asking to be recognized in order to receive the plaudits of the county at large. But, has any one of you faced a Confederate bullet? Well, Matt Creighton’s boy has.

Related Characters: Ross Milton (speaker), Bill Creighton, Matthew Creighton, Eb Carron, John Creighton, Tom Creighton, Guy Wortman
Page Number: 118-119
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Ed brought the boy’s letter down for Matt to read. In it the boy told of the burning of Columbia, of how the soldiers laughed as a great wind fanned the flames, of the loot carried off, of mirrors and pianos smashed, and of intimate family treasures scattered to the winds by men who seemed to have gone mad. […]

“What is this goin’ to do to an eighteen-year-old boy, Matt? Kin a lad come through weeks of this kind of actions without becomin’ a hardened man? Is human life goin’ to be forever cheap to him and decency somethin’ to mock at? […] these boys air goin’ to believe that they be heroes for lootin’ and burnin’, fer laughin’ at distress, fer smashin’ the helpless without pity. In some ways Sammy is more of a child than yore Jeth here; he goes with the crowd without thinkin.’ Mary and me has had to guard against that way of his.

Related Characters: Ed Turner (speaker), Jethro Creighton, Ross Milton, Bill Creighton, Matthew Creighton
Page Number: 196
Explanation and Analysis:

“[…] Jeth, after the thirteenth amendment has become a part of our Constitution and for years afterward [...] there will be men and women with dark faces who will walk the length and width of this land in search of the bright promise the thirteenth amendment holds out to them. […] What’s going to happen to them, Jeth? What will become of men and women who have known nothing but servitude all the days of their lives? They are without experience, without education; they’ll be pawns in the hands of exploiters all over the nation. […] see if [Northern abolitionists] extend the hand of friendship to the uneducated, unskilled men who will come north looking to them as a savior. […] I tell you, all of us are getting a little quieter when the question comes up as to what we are to do about the products of slavery.

Related Characters: Ross Milton (speaker), Jethro Creighton
Page Number: 200
Explanation and Analysis:
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Ross Milton Quotes in Across Five Aprils

The Across Five Aprils quotes below are all either spoken by Ross Milton or refer to Ross Milton. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Coming of Age Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

“If the editor of the county paper ain’t against freedom of speech, could I jest put one more question to this young ’un?” Without waiting for a reply, the man called Wortman turned again to Jethro. “What I want to ask you is this: is yore pa good and down on Bill? Does he teach you your brother is a skunk that deserves shootin’ for goin’ against his country?”

Jethro felt a great weakness. He had to steady himself against the counter for a second, and when he spoke the words were the first ones that occurred to him.

“My pa don’t teach me one way or the other. He knows that I think more of my brother than anybody else in the world—no matter where he is. And that’s all I’ve got to say to you.” He looked directly at the man with an anger that dissipated his weakness.

Related Characters: Jethro Creighton (speaker), Guy Wortman (speaker), Ross Milton, Bill Creighton, Matthew Creighton
Page Number: 78-79
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

Has justice been done, gentlemen? Has an ailing man who commands the respect of those in this county who recognize integrity—has this man suffered enough to satisfy your patriotic zeal?

May I remind you that Tom Creighton died for the Union cause, that he died in battle, where a man fights his opponent face to face rather than striking and scuttling off into the darkness?

And just in passing, Gentlemen, what have you done lately for the Union cause? Of course you have burned a man’s property—barn, farm implements, hay, and grain; you have polluted his well with coal oil and terrified his family. Furthermore, you have done it quietly, under cover of darkness, never once asking to be recognized in order to receive the plaudits of the county at large. But, has any one of you faced a Confederate bullet? Well, Matt Creighton’s boy has.

Related Characters: Ross Milton (speaker), Bill Creighton, Matthew Creighton, Eb Carron, John Creighton, Tom Creighton, Guy Wortman
Page Number: 118-119
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 12 Quotes

Ed brought the boy’s letter down for Matt to read. In it the boy told of the burning of Columbia, of how the soldiers laughed as a great wind fanned the flames, of the loot carried off, of mirrors and pianos smashed, and of intimate family treasures scattered to the winds by men who seemed to have gone mad. […]

“What is this goin’ to do to an eighteen-year-old boy, Matt? Kin a lad come through weeks of this kind of actions without becomin’ a hardened man? Is human life goin’ to be forever cheap to him and decency somethin’ to mock at? […] these boys air goin’ to believe that they be heroes for lootin’ and burnin’, fer laughin’ at distress, fer smashin’ the helpless without pity. In some ways Sammy is more of a child than yore Jeth here; he goes with the crowd without thinkin.’ Mary and me has had to guard against that way of his.

Related Characters: Ed Turner (speaker), Jethro Creighton, Ross Milton, Bill Creighton, Matthew Creighton
Page Number: 196
Explanation and Analysis:

“[…] Jeth, after the thirteenth amendment has become a part of our Constitution and for years afterward [...] there will be men and women with dark faces who will walk the length and width of this land in search of the bright promise the thirteenth amendment holds out to them. […] What’s going to happen to them, Jeth? What will become of men and women who have known nothing but servitude all the days of their lives? They are without experience, without education; they’ll be pawns in the hands of exploiters all over the nation. […] see if [Northern abolitionists] extend the hand of friendship to the uneducated, unskilled men who will come north looking to them as a savior. […] I tell you, all of us are getting a little quieter when the question comes up as to what we are to do about the products of slavery.

Related Characters: Ross Milton (speaker), Jethro Creighton
Page Number: 200
Explanation and Analysis: