If I Should Die — Harlan Hague

This is a story about patriotism and treason, love and loss, a scripted disregard for life and a soaring belief in the essential goodness of man. It is set in Santa Fé in 1847 and west Texas in 2016. An old Texas rancher researches his ancestor, a young soldier who served during the Mexican War. The narrative moves seamlessly back and forth between the two dates. John Henry joins the United States Army in 1846 to fight Indians and escape the desperate life of a Missouri frontier farm. When war is declared on Mexico, he cheers with his fellows. Now he can wave the flag and fight greasers. When the army enters Santa Fé, John Henry's world is turned upside down. In Santa Fé, he meets Morita and falls in love. Her friends become his friends. John Henry finds no enemies in Santa Fé, and he begins to wonder whether he can support a war against a country that has not wronged him or his own country. He decides that he cannot and resists in the only way he can. He deserts on moral grounds. He lives with Morita in her little adobe, and they are deliriously in love. They ponder leaving Santa Fe, but John Henry needs to explain and defend his choices. He is discovered, arrested and tried by court martial for treason. This is a love story set amidst the first widespread opposition to war in the history of the United States.