This novel is a carefully researched, factually accurate account of the small, but important Civil War Battle of New Market. The action takes place in the picturesque Shenandoah Valley of Virginia in the pouring rain on May 15, 1864. A cast of historical characters present the narrative from multiple viewpoints. It is a coming-of-age chronicle of the part taken by 258 untried teenage cadets from the Virginia Military Institute. In their initial foray into the maelstrom of war fate places them face-to-face against the veterans of the 34th Massachusetts, a battalion of well-trained infantry ably led by a former judge from Boston. This is the only instance in American history where the whole student body of a college fought as a single combat unit. The significance of the battle is determined by time and place. While Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee are locked in a deadly struggle near Richmond, across the Blue Ridge a small Confederate force confronts a numerically superior Union army. If the Federals can defeat the Rebels they can sweep down on Lee's unprotected left flank and possibly end the war. Major General John C. Breckinridge, a Kentuckian and former vice president of the US, commands the Confederate army. In charge of the Federals is Major General Franz Sigel, an émigré from Baden and political appointee. Despised by Generals Halleck and Grant, Sigel has been given command of the Department of West Virginia by President Abraham Lincoln, who hopes to garner enough German votes in November to win re-election. John S. Wise, the 17-year-old son of a former governor of Virginia, and Moses Ezekiel, a state cadet with hopes of becoming a world-renowned sculptor, give voice to the thoughts and anxieties of the cadets. The viewpoints of Confederate officers are presented by Breckinridge; Captain Charles Woodson, a Missourian and former bushwhacker; and Captain John "Hanse" McNeill, a partisan ranger fighting a personal war against the West Virginia Swamp Dragons and the B&O Railroad. Speaking for the Union are Colonel George Wells, commander of the 34th Massachusetts; Colonel David Strother, a West Virginian with a touchy ego who writes for Harper's Magazine; and First Lieutenant Henry A. DuPont, an energetic and brilliant artilleryman who graduated first in his class at West Point in 1861. After the war, the conduct of the cadets in their time of trial became a pillar of the mythology of the Lost Cause.
About the Author: John S. Powell is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, 1960; Tulane University, MBA, 1965; and Duke Law School, JD, 1963. From 1963-1965 he served as a first lieutenant, artillery, US Army. He is the author of The Nostradamus Prophecy, a techno-thriller (1998). Powell co-founded Biomedical Reference Laboratories, Inc. and is past president of Carolina Biological Supply Company. An avid student of Civil War battles, he is especially interested in those fought in the Shenandoah Valley. His great-grandfather, John B. Powell, was a lieutenant in the 43rd NC Infantry, and surrendered with the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox in 1865. In the past twenty-five years, the author and his wife, Martha Hamblin, (co-author of this novel) have visited Andersonville, New Market, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, and dozens of additional sites, studying the tragic phenomenon that was the American Civil War. G. Martha Hamblin is an award-winning photographer and poet. She earned her BA in biology from Randolph-Macon Woman's College in Virginia, holds an MA from Duke University, and an MS from Marlboro College Graduate School. Her keen interest in the Civil War started with a visit to Appomattox while at R-MWC. Her business career includes positions as vice president of Nova Scientific Corporation, co-founder of the NC Family Business Forum, and owner of Photophish Imaging & Art. Currently she is part of the management team of Hoffman Nursery, Inc. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, John Powell, and their cat.