Sumter to Shiloh // Country — Bob Mayer

In the vein of HBO's Rome miniseries, two former West Point cadets, Lucius Rumble and Elijah Cord, are involved in the decisions at many of the major crossroads of our history as the Civil War erupts around them.

They go from West Point, to Washington DC, through First Bull Run, the Monitor battling the Merrimac, to Grant's initial successes at Forts Henry and Donelson. We arrive on the precipice of failure as Grant's army is routed on the first day of the battle of Shiloh and he sits in the rain, under an oak treat, contemplating retreat.

They swore oaths, both personal and professional. They were fighting for country, for a way of life and for family. Classmates carried more than rifles and sabers into battle. They had friendships, memories, children and wives. They had innocence lost, promises broken and glory found.

Praise for Mayer's war fiction:
Stephen Coonts: “A scorcher of a novel!”
WEB Griffin: “Exciting & Authentic!”