James Reasoner's Civil War Battle Series, published by
Cumberland House, follows the Brannons, a farming family from Virginia. Although the
father has passed on, his wife Abigail still oversees the day-to-day operation with her
four sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Will, additionally serves as Culpeper's town
sheriff. Just as he has a run-in with some of the town's rowdiest citizens, the war breaks
out between the North and the South. MANASSAS is
the first book in the Brannon family saga highlighting Civil War battles.
Reasoner introduces the Brannon clan of Culpepper County, Virginia, in the rousing
first installment of a projected eight-volume (has expanded to at least ten volumes)
series set amid the action and the agony of the Civil War. Fiercely devoted to the
Confederacy and to each other, the six Brannon siblings anxiously await news of secession
as a deadly feud erupts between Will Brannon, sheriff of Culpepper County, and the lawless
Fogarty gang. When Will shoots and kills Joe Fogarty, he is forced to leave the family
farm in order to ensure the safety of his mother, his sister, and his brothers. Enlisting
in the Army of Northern Virginia, Will prepares for the Battle of Manassas, where he must
face both the Union army and the surviving Fogarty brothers. Fraught with tension, drama,
and tantalizing hints of future romance, this vividly rendered family saga will hook fans
of meaty historical fiction. --Booklist
Shiloh, the second volume of James Reasoner's Civil War Battle series,
continues the story of the Brannon family of Culpeper
County, Va., begun in Manassas. Cory Brannon, who went West in search of opportunity, is down
and out and close to desperation when he finds opportunity and love on a Mississippi river
boat. But then the war catches up to him, and he is caught in the carnage of Shiloh. Reasoner's plain
spoken prose and judicious use of historical detail distinguish his well-regarded work,
and this installment of his series is another sturdy novel of action and adventure.
--Publisher's Weekly
Antietam, the third book in the series, commanders of North and South
maneuver across the landscape of northern Virginia and the war comes within view of the Brannon family farm. The
din of drilling soldiers overcomes the quiet country seat, and another son answers the
call to arms. A gifted horseman, Mac "jines" the cavalry of James Ewell Brown
"Jeb" Stuart, and soon finds himself on one of the greatest adventures of the
war. Booklist described Antitam as "Fraught with passion, tension, and tenderness,
this enthralling family saga will appeal to fans of epic well-researched historical
fiction."
Chancellorsville, the fourth book in the series, opens with Cory Brannon, the son
who had gone west to seek his fortune, in search of his sweetheart, Lucille Farrell. He
discovers that he may be able to help provide the South with food, weapons, and ammunition
brought into the country through Texas by blockade-runners. The path, however, is strewn with unsavory
characters and danger. Meanwhile, Will and Mac are brought home with the war, which means
of course that the war is getting even closer to their family farm.
Vicksburg is the fifth volume in a series of historical novels spanning
the Civil War featuring the Brannon family of Culpeper
County, Virginia. The focus turns to the west and the Southern stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi, where Cory
Brannon is working to keep the town supplied by wagon train and railroad from Texas.
Vicksburg is the
key to the Mississippi River and the linchpin to the Confederacy, and Abraham Lincoln wants
to put that key in his pocket. For almost a year the Federal army and navy have tried to
dislodge the Confederates, but they have gained nothing. Finally, Union Gen. Ulysses S.
Grant, the hero of Forts Henry and Donelson and the battle of Shiloh, is dispatched to
take the town by any means possible.
Gettysburg the sixth volume finds Stonewall Jackson dead. Despite that
tragedy, Confederate morale was never higher. The last act of the general had been the
climax of his partnership with Robert E. Lee in the wooded ground known as Chancellorsville. Victory
had again come to an overmatched army against impossible odds. When the smoke had cleared
from the battlefield, the Southerners savored the sight of the Union army in retreat. In
less than a year's time, the Federals had been pushed back from the outskirts of Richmond and now virtually
out of Virginia.
At this point, a confident commander conceives a bold plan. Thus begins this newest
addition to The Civil War Battle Series, the Brannon family saga, which has been praised
as "robust, detail-rich and well-paced,...equal parts pathos and accuracy"
(Publisherıs Weekly) and "Fraught with passion, tension, and tenderness"
(Booklist).
Chickamauga the seventh volume finds the seven members of the Brannon family
of Culpeper County, Virginia experiencing a wide range of hardships of war. The
Southern setbacks have fallen hard on the Brannon family. First came the news of
Lee's defeat at Gettysburg, followed almost immediately by word of the fall of Vicksburg.
Shenadoah
the eighth volume shows that the last six months of 1863 have taken a toll on the Brannon
family of Culpeper County, but the winter finally has forced the armies to suspend
campaigning. What little calm Christmas brings, however is shattered. The war
has wreaked havoc on all and not everyone survives.
Savannah the ninth volume finds the Brannon family farm in Culpeper County Virginia behind enemy
lines. One Brannon is fighting in the Shenandoah
Valley, one is trapped in Savannah, and another
brother is thrust into the war. Despair grips the Confederacy. Fractured
and defeated at every turn, the nation asks itself how much longer it can continue to
fight.
Appomattox the tenth and final volume finds the Brannon family with sons in
every theater of the war. For a time, Mac and Titus fight in the Shenandoah, Mac
with Fitzhugh Lee's cavalry at the battle of Third Winchester and Titus with Mosby's
Rangers in the cut and slash tactics of guerrilla warfare. The Cavalry,
however, must throw its weight behind the defenses at Petersburg, where U.S.
Grant's army methodically pressures the remnants of Robert E. Lee's legions.
Cory fights against William T Sherman in the Carolinas, and Henry rides
with Nathan Bedford Forrest in Alabama.
CIVIL WAR SHORT STORY COLLECTION
 MURDER MOST
CONFEDERATE, Tales of Crimes Most Uncivil "The Hessian" by Doug
Allyn, "The Price Of Coal" by Edward D. Hoch, "Last Hours In Richmond"
by Brendan DuBois, "Veterans" by John Lutz, "The Cobblestones of Saratoga
Street" by Avram Davidson, "A House Divided" by Marc Bilgrey,
"Blossoms and Blood" by Janet Berliner, "Whistling Dixie" by Billie
Sue Mosiman, "Behind Enemy Lines" by John Helfers & Carol Rondou, "The
Unknown Soldier" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch, "A Woman's Touch" by Max Allan
Collins & Matthew V. Clemens, "Ghost" by Bradley H. Sinor, "The Last
Day Of The War" by James Reasoner, "Valuables" by Kristine Scheid,
"The Face" by Edward Gorman, "Matthew In The Morning" by Gary A.
Braunbeck.
 THE
PALMETTO TRILOGY
by Livia Hallam (Livia Reasoner) with James Reasoner
CALL TO ARMS - On December
20, 1860, a momentous occasion takes place in the
beautiful, graceful old city of Charleston, South Carolina. A secession ordinance withdrawing South Carolina from the Union is signed in
Institute Hall, and a festive celebration erupts throughout the city. At least in the
minds of most of its citizens, South Carolina is now a sovereign nation.
Taking part in this celebration are cadets from the
Citadel, a military institute for young men. Two of these cadets are Robert Gilmore and
Allard Tyler, who are good friends despite differences in their backgrounds. Allard is
from a wealthy Charleston ship-building family, while Robert is from a much less
well-to-do farm family. Stirred by the patriotic fever that grips Charleston, both young men
vow that if secession leads to war with the North, they will withdraw from the Citadel and
join the battle against the Yankees.
Robert remains in Charleston over the Christmas holidays, partly because he does not have the
money to make the trip home and partly because of his interest in Jacqueline Lockhart,
daughter of a wealthy plantation family. Allard is interested in Diana Pinckston, the
daughter of one of his instructors at the Citadel.
The stories of these young people and their friends and
families play out against a backdrop of secession fever and the drumbeat of impending war.
Robert and Allard are among the cadets manning the guns when the Star of the West attempts
to bring supplies and reinforcements to Fort Sumter. Both immediately withdraw from the Citadel, Robert enlisting in
the Hampton Legion and Allard intending to join the Confederate navy. Robert sees his
first action at the battle of Manassas in Virginia, and Allard, who has joined a privateer attacking Northern Virginia merchant
vessels, barely escapes with his life when his ship is sunk during a battle with a Union
cruiser. For both young men, many of their romantic notions about the glory of war are
shattered.
 The second book in this trilogy, WAR DRUMS, picks up where Call to Arms left off,
as Allard Tyler and Barnaby Yorke limp into Nassau with their heavily damaged ship, the Ghost. Nassau is a new, exotic
world for Allard, and the island is rife with intrigue that is not limited to the civil
war in America.
The danger, however, is more than mortal as Allard spurns the romantic advances of the
bewitching, beautiful daughter of the island's governor. When their vessel is seaworthy
again, Allard and Captain York resume preying on Union merchant shipping on the return
voyage to Charleston. Once there, Allard honors his promise to join his father's
shipbuilding business in order to marry Diana Pinckston, the woman he loves.
Meanwhile, Allard's friend Robert rises to company
command in the Hampton Legion and participates in the series of battles that comprise the Peninsula campaign. That
fall his brother, Cam, enrolls at the Citadel, where the charm of the city is enhanced
by Allard's sister, Lucinda, with whom he has more than a passing acquaintance. Their
mutual weakness for each other leads to a stunning development that, in the city's
culture, can only lead to marriage. Lucinda, however, cunningly convinces Robert, who is
home on a short leave, to do the noble thing when he fears that Cam's life is in danger.
News of their impending marriage turns Jacqueline Lockhart, the woman Robert loves,
against him, and he finds the battlefield more attractive than his soon-to-be-wife. Robert
returns to duty as the Confederate army marches into Maryland, and after the battle of South Mountain and Antietam, he questions what he is fighting for on the long march back to Virginia and the ensuing
battle of Fredericksburg. |