The Last Confederate Battle, a novel by John J. Cline, is the purely American story of three brothers
who were plantation raised in the Deep South and who subsequently fought for
the Confederate States of America in the War of Northern Aggression, better
known to the world today as the Civil War or as The War Between the
States. Although the story is fiction,
the history isn’t.
People who love to read a good story will find themselves
wrapped up in the intricacies of fictional and historical people trying to find
some degree normalcy in a wartime setting.
It is, after all, a war that didn’t have to be fought. It occurred in a nation where common sense
was spurned by military and political arrogance that beguiled nearly everyone
into thinking that the conflict would end within a few weeks, and that each
side, North and South, was superior to the other. It is a fictional tale of murder, suspense,
political intrigue, war mongering, profiteering, love and honor. Most of all, however, it is a tale of
federalism versus state’s rights, a conflict that continues in perpetuity.
Andrew Jefferson Davis, Andy to friends and family, is
the youngest of three brothers who were raised on a plantation near the town of
Madison, Georgia. He was disillusioned
by nearly four years of fighting and sat alone in the dark by a small campfire
in what had been his plantation’s expansive front yard. Uncharacteristically, he was sobbing
uncontrollably. During the war, he had
seen unbelievable carnage and death, yet tears had never come. It was only after he finally got home, after
being released from a war prison, that he learned that his wife and young son
had been tortured and murdered, and that the plantation had been burned to the
ground; unusual because the plantation was only a few miles from Madison, one
of only seven towns that had not been torched during Sherman’s March to the Sea. So opens the saga of The Last Confederate Battle.
But this not a one-sided story! Readers will glimpse into the human side of
President Lincoln as he manages a war he doesn’t want to have to fight, while
simultaneously digging through a myriad of political and criminal distractions
that bleed much of his time and patience.
Readers will also meet Allan Pinkerton whose job it is to protect the
President when he leaves the district, but who is also responsible for the
collection of intelligence with which to prosecute the war. Fictional character Franklin Stone is drafted
by the president to investigate a series of murders and war profiteering because
Washington D.C. at that time, had no police force. He is pitted against some really ruthless and
politically powerful people. But who is
really worse: the killer and war-profiteer or the shady consortium of big
businesses who want to dominate the nation’s economy?
The story behind
the story! Numerous readers have
questioned me about the inspiration for writing The Last Confederate Battle, and the truth is just as bizarre as
the story itself. I was sitting on my
patio waiting for the sun to rise (I’m an early riser) when this mental picture
of a Confederate soldier squatting alone beside a late night campfire in the
front yard of his burned-out shell of a plantation house came to mind. At the time, I disregarded the image,
wondering why I had thought of it in the first place. But the image would not go away. It kept coming back to the point where I
finally had to start asking some questions.
Why was he there? Why was he
alone? Where had he been? What had happened to him? Well, after asking a bunch of simple
questions, it got more and more intriguing, and I just had to write the story
that I was seeing in my mind’s eye.
About the Author -
Recognized as one of Idaho's Top Fifty Authors for 2011, John J. Cline has
written several books, the most recent being "Sea Stories & Navy Tales,"
and "The Last Confederate Battle.
He is currently working on a book that is tentatively titled,
"Rebuilding American Dreams;" a continuation of the stories told in
"The Last Confederate Battle."
"Rebuilding American Dreams" should be available by early
2012. He has also composed music including, "Sunset in the Harbor,"
"American Bridal Waltz," and "Song of Idaho." His website also has a number of short
stories that can be viewed at www.theboiseauthor.com.
Before turning to writing, John spent 25 years in the
United States Navy in both the enlisted ranks (Master Chief Petty Officer), and
in the officer corps, as a Limited Duty Officer (Mustang). He retired from the Navy in July 1993 as a
Lieutenant Commander. He was the Navy's
first designated Physical Security Officer (649X), responsible for military law
enforcement, physical security, antiterrorism and emergency management programs
at naval facilities throughout the Southwest Region of the United States, the
Caribbean, Western Pacific and the Persian Gulf, both at sea and ashore.
He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy (140th
Session) and numerous antiterrorism, law enforcement and emergency management
schools. He has a Bachelor of Science Degree
in Workforce Education and Curriculum Development from Southern Illinois
University at Carbondale, and a Master’s Degree in National Security Studies:
Homeland Security and Defense from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey,
California.
Following retirement from the Navy, John was the director
of the Idaho Bureau of Disaster Services, where he served the State of Idaho
for ten years directing the State’s disaster mitigation and preparedness
programs and coordinating the State’s response and recovery operations to
overcome the effects of fire, flood, wind, ice and snow emergencies, landslides
that isolated towns, and a most bizarre disaster, the escape of lions, tigers
and hybrid wolves from a self-styled wild animal park. During his ten years at the bureau, he
directed the State’s response and recovery operations for over 50 local
disasters, 25 state-declared major emergencies and disasters and four
Presidentially-declared disasters, contributing to the overall physical and
economic recovery of numerous Idaho communities.
John and his wife, Patricia, reside in Boise, Idaho. They have three grown children, four
grandchildren, and some really good friends.
Website/Blog Page: www.theboiseauthor.com
