 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Read a description of each book below.
* Warriors of the Triple Chevron * Bond of Rebellion * Duel on the Roanoke
"Warriors of the Triple Chevron"
The Civil War was a defining moment for the American people, raising issues that were deeper and feelings that were more passionate than at any other time in our history.
Farmers, students, slaves, merchants, carpenters, plantation owners - all found themselves tangled in a web of human tragedy, forced to fight for survival.
Just as surely as the private who follows his sergeant into battle, all became ‘warriors of the triple chevron’.
With much of the story based on actual events, this is a historical novel about several such ‘warriors’ – a boy from the North Carolina Outer Banks, an eccentric professor from the Virginia Military Institute, a girl from a prominent Virginia plantation – individuals with little in common until thrown together at the center of events which changed not only their lives but the course of American history.
Two excerpts follow:
“Thomas turned his back and walked away. He was losing control and wanted to be alone. He didn’t want his officers to see the tears forming in his eyes. Out beyond the circle of light he walked, out along the railroad embankment where his men had fought so hard and where so many had fallen. How much more killing, he wondered. How long before the mission of killing that he felt God had given him would be done and he could be with Anna and their expected child? How much longer before he could enjoy the creation of life instead of the heartbreak of so much death?”
*******
“Descendants of the founding fathers, sons of wealthy planters and dirt farmers, men from the coastal regions, the cities, the mountains, all were molded into one body with a common purpose as together they stared silently across the field. Southern independence lay one mile away on that ridge, shimmering in the heat like a mirage. Was it real or was it a dream? The men…were eager to settle the issue, but time seemed to drag by minute by minute as they sweated and waited.”
"Coming Soon – Bond of Rebellion"
Britt McComb, an expert tracker and sharpshooter from a poor Mississippi family, is sent into town during the Battle of Fredericksburg to oppose the Union Army’s crossing of the Rappahannock. Cut off, he is forced to take shelter in a basement.
Hiding in the basement is Lizzie, a beautiful slave girl who has suffered rape and is waiting to escape to the Yankees. Trapped by the battle, they are forced to spend two days together. Slowly they come to understand each other and realize that they have much in common.
The battle is won by the Confederates and Lizzie returns to her owners, but Britt cannot forget her. He goes to visit her only to find that she has been sold into the hands of her rapist. Britt tries to help and becomes entangled in a spy ring that leads to kidnapping and murder. To extricate himself, he must choose between his heart and his duty.
Two excerpts follow:
“Britt…studied his target. The Federal wore a mustache and spectacles and had skin the color of bleached flour, like someone not used to the outdoors. Probably a schoolteacher or shopkeeper, thought Britt, some New England abolitionist who treated Indians and Irishmen like dirt but figured he could come down here and teach Southerners how to live.
Britt liked getting to know his victim a little. It put the whole thing on a more personal basis. That’s why he had become a sharpshooter. He wanted a good look at who he was killing, and he wanted to watch them die.”*******
“They lingered at the window, for there were other feelings…feelings that each found strange and unexpected. Despite their undeniable differences, the thought of parting left an empty feeling in the pits of their stomachs. Their eyes locked on each other for a brief moment, but during that moment a kaleidoscope of emotions flooded their minds and spilled onto their faces. Each sensed what the other was feeling and the things they wanted to say, but each knew they must purge such feelings and leave such thoughts unsaid.”
"Coming Soon – Duel on the Roanoke"
Based entirely on fact, this is the true story of the Confederate ironclad Albemarle, a 150-foot ship built in a North Carolina cornfield under the direction of an eighteen-year-old boy. Written as a historical novel, the book was undertaken only after extensive research, including information obtained from direct descendents of the participants. A synopsis follows:
Yankee conquest of the North Carolina sounds in early 1862 leaves Union gunboats free to raid the river towns and plantations, disrupt commerce and threaten the railroads bringing supplies north to Lee’s army. Short on infantry, the Confederacy determines to build ironclad ships to counter this threat, including one on the Roanoke River.
James Cooke, a native North Carolinian, thirty-four year veteran of the old navy, and the only southern captain to distinguish himself in the fighting on the sounds, is chosen to oversee construction. He faces tortuous obstacles including a shortage of iron and facilities, enemy raids, and inept superior officers. The only experienced shipbuilder is eighteen-year-old Gilbert Elliott.
Charles Flusser is an aggressive, thirty-year-old former acquaintance of Cooke in the prewar navy who commands the Union wooden squadron at the mouth of the Roanoke. Each seeks to destroy the other. Flusser sees it as an opportunity for fame and promotion; Cooke seeks to remove this spear thrust into his homeland’s midsection. The two engage in a deadly chess match of move and countermove that grows increasingly personal, heightening the risk as they move toward an inevitable showdown.
This remarkable true story stands as a monument to human endeavor, determination and achievement under the most adverse circumstances.