Description

(Illustration from The Orphan and His Golden Bars. That is Stonewall on the left who is directing Roger to stop the troops at Chancellorsville.)

I've been working on the cover for the sequel to The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Below is the description I have so far. Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

The drummer boy returns in this poignant tale of the Confederacy’s last days. The army has just broken winter camp and is ready to fight. Back in the saddle, Roger Mills is now an officer on Stonewall’s staff, and his sister Jane is recruited into a Richmond hospital governed by an unusual Captain named Sally. On top of it all, Moss Neck hosts a charming wedding for two of Roger’s dearest friends, complete with music, dance, and baseball.

The South seems to stop her enemies at every contest. Yet, several crippling losses cause the army to slacken pace. After watching a slaughter at Gettysburg, Roger learns that his sister is deathly ill from her work at the hospital, and he is confronted with a heart-wrenching test of faith. Then, after a grueling winter when leaders are dead, supplies are down, and food is scarce, everyone knows their final chance is a last-ditch thrust into the enemy’s position. The lot falls to Roger and his corps. This is a story of faith and freedom; love and loyalty. It is the story of an orphan and his golden bars!

“I want to personally thank Bryce for undertaking such a noble project so that future generations will hear the stories of Pendleton and Jackson and their men. Also so that they will understand the true history of the men who wore the gray and fought for the South so long ago!” - W. Danny Honnoll, President of Arkansas Heritage Trails and Former Sons of Confederate Veterans Division Commander (from the Foreword).