Who is Homer P. Figg from The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg and what is their importance?

Homer P. Figg is a twelve-year-old boy living with his uncle when the novel begins. Homer's mother died several years ago and Homer has been living in his uncle's barn, working for little more than table scraps. One day, when Homer takes food from the slop meant for the pigs, the uncle becomes enraged and gets into a confrontation with Harold. This leads to the uncle selling Harold into the army.

Homer is a precocious young man who is incredibly brave. Homer runs away from his uncle's place and goes after Harold, unafraid of the things that await him out in the world. Despite running into terrible criminals, losing all his money, and being mistaken for a pig, Homer continues to search for his brother until he finds him. Not only this, but when Homer finds his brother, he helps him fight one of the most notorious battles in the Civil War.