Historical Fiction
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Ancestrals
An Imprint of Tree Shadow Press
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Toe the Mark, Civil War Series
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A series of novellas featuring the lives of
individuals involved in the Civil War.
Book One in the Toe the Mark Civil War Series.
This historical fiction is based on the life of Pvt. Henry W. Marts, a Quaker who answered Mr. Lincoln's call to arms in 1861. It is the first of seven books in the Toe the Mark Civil War Series.
Excerpt: Henry describing his actions at the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse:
"We were in the act of running, retreating under orders of the regiment."
That battlefield proved to be Henry's ultimate test.
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Book Two in the Toe the Mark Civil War Series.
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Inspired by the life of a Civil War veteran: Corporal Jesse J. Cook, Co. B, 53rd KY.
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Based on military records from the National Archives, regimental records, historical newspaper accounts, and genealogical research.
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Book Three in the Toe the Mark Civil War Series.
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Union vs. Confederate.They were brothers and first cousins. Frank, Sam, Alex, and Marion.Forced to choose sides in a divided Kentucky. Their state would rage. Family ties rupture. Loyalties be questioned. Four young men would become "Cousins at War."Inspired by the service of actual Civil War soldiers.Based on military records from the National Archives, regimental reports, historical newspaper accounts, historical and genealogical research.
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Book Four in the Toe the Mark Civil War Series.
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What is legacy? A bequest, something handed down from ones' ancestors. For the Scotsmen who fought for America's Independence and their sons it was a proud heritage of patriotism, duty, and a stout heart in the face of danger. When America erupted in an ugly civil war in 1861, it would fall upon the shoulders of the fifth generation of Ramseys in America to defend the Union and its flag.
The Ramsey Legacy is a story that follows the sons from one Scots American family through four turbulent years, from Ontario to Alabama, from the battlefield to the home front, to the halls of political power. Ben—the nascent industrialist. Jack—a brooding blacksmith. Bill—the civic-minded engineer.
Experience the early Virginia campaign and Shiloh, the gunboat action on the Yazoo and Mississippi Rivers, and the Sieges of Vicksburg and Mobile. Endure the political battles, corruption, and intrigue emanating from the North, fueled by secret Copperhead societies, conspirators, and financiers hoping to destroy the Union. Live the everyday life of those in and out of uniform, from the workplace to the opera house, from the saloon and brothel to the theater—riots, rallies, fights, celebrations, laughter, and tears.
Inspired by a true story.
Based on historical, military, and genealogical research.
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Book Five in the Toe the Mark Civil War Series.
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Kentucky 1871
For Confederate cavalryman Francis "Marion" Allender the late War of Rebellion has never truly ended. He still identifies as a member of Morgan's Raiders, the guerilla band headed by the legendary Kentucky general. He is greeted with warmth and adulation by some, with loathing and suspicion from the rest--depending upon their political views--and it seeps into every aspect of his life.
As a new decade dawns, there's a dangerous battle that veterans from both sides will be forced to fight.
A battle with no clear objectives, strategies, or marching orders.
A battle without even a clearly defined enemy. In Marion's case, his enemy often feels uncomfortably close--his cousin Eliza and her Yankee husband, Corporal Jesse J. Cook. Jesse is a staunch Republican to Marion's Democrat, and Eliza (though blood), harbors a strangely personal vendetta.
Marion and Jesse are thrust together by circumstance and should pool their considerable talents and resolve for the sake of the family.
But can they?
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