From the Ashes of Ruin [Hardcover]

Miriam Freeman Rawl (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

From the Ashes of Ruin is the dramatic unfolding of the events leading to the night of February 17,1865 in Columbia, SC, and to the life-altering trauma that followed. The two main characters are mature, responsible individuals, each one committed to their own goals and ideals. Ellen and John are southerners caught in a tumultuous period of history not of their own making, and they both are trying very hard to survive and maintain their integrity. Quite unexpectedly they happen to fall in love. Ellen Heyward finds Union Army Major John Arledge arrogant and frightening. Sent by General Sherman to investigate war crimes, his hostile blue eyes hint of unknown dangers. She is desperately aware that she must protect her younger sister and herself, not only from scandal and degradation, buy also from the possible legal consequences of what has recently happened at Oak Lane, their family home. Arledge, a brilliant, seasoned legal officer, is tracing reports of "rebellious civilian atrocities." Evidence leads him to the Heyward plantation, where ashes of the recently burned stables convince him he is on the right trail. There he is confronted by thin, pale, no-longer-young Ellen Heyward who undoubtedly knows more than she will reveal. A crisis has been precipitated by the heated exchange of letters between Sherman, the fierce red-haired Yankee commander and courtly, hard-pressed Wade Hampton of the Confederate Army. Are lawless citizens murdering advancing soldiers as they carry out their duties? Or, are marauding "bummers" preying on helpless women and children? Both generals have taken an aggressive stand and both of them are threatening severe retribution. Duty-bound to prosecute war criminals, Arledge's pursuit is ruthless. He is intrigued by Ellen's skilled evasion and her determination to show no fear. He is inexplicably attracted to this defiant woman who is clearly not interested in him, certainly lying and possibly guilty of murder. In an effort to escape from him the sisters flee to a relative's home in Columbia. Set against a backdrop of impending disaster, Ellen and the major become increasingly drawn to each other. The tumultuous five days of Sherman's occupation of South Carolina's capital unleash and uncontrolled clash of hatreds. Then, leaving behind a devastated city, the Union army moves out toward Virginia and the final days of conflict. Arledge, too, must go with the departing troops. He vows to return. Lee is soon forced to surrender, and people in the south must then struggle to cope with drastically changed circumstances. Ellen and her sister return to Oak Lane to resume their life. They again encounter Jim Milton, a young Confederate soldier who had come to their aid earlier. He and Pamela, the sister, are attracted to each other. Several strong secondary characters enhance the story line, including a young Pennsylvania woman sent south to work with the Freedmen's Bureau. The Quaker teacher and Ellen meet and form an uneasy friendship. Major Arledge returns to South Carolina with the first of the Federal Occupation Forces. He immediately seeks out Ellen as he had promised, only to stumble upon wedding preparations which her mistakenly assumes to be hers. The situation is ultimately resolved.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Glorifying the spirit of Confederate women, this earnest but uneven debut by septuagenarian academician Rawl is notable for its well-researched depiction of plantation life and hardship during the last months of the Civil War, as well as an authentic account of the shameful atrocities committed during General William Tecumseh Sherman's sacking and torching of Columbia, S.C., on February 17, 1865. Ten days before that infamous catastrophe, Yankee major John Arledge comes to Oak Lane Plantation investigating the disappearance of three soldiers who had been dispatched as foragers for the Union Army. Ellen Heyward, the elder of two daughters of a Confederate physician, lies to Arledge (to protect the honor of her sister, Pamela, who was raped by the foragers) telling him that the men were burning the Oak Lane stable but were chased away by a quartet of Rebel troopers. A few days later, Arledge returns, suspicious of Ellen's story but nonetheless confessing his attraction to her, and his intention to marry her after the war. With Sherman's army approaching, the women, disastrously, go to Columbia seeking safety with their aunt. On the eve of Sherman's arrival, Arledge finds Ellen, sweeps her into his arms and reaffirms his vow to return and possess her. Overnight, the city is reduced to rubble and the women return to Oak Lane. With a wounded young Rebel trooper, the women reestablish the vigor of the plantation and Pamela's trust in men is restored. Predictably, from the ashes of war, romance takes full flower, but readers hoping for fiery passion will be disappointed by the treacly love scenes. In addition, flat dialogue and phlegmatic pacing detract from the novel's vividly detailed historical setting.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

As Sherman's army marches across South Carolina, Ellen Heyward faces more immediate concerns than the advancing army. A Union officer, Major John Arledge, is asking questions about some of Sherman's bummers, or foragers, who were last seen heading toward the Heyward plantation. He is suspicious of Ellen's vague responses to his questions: When did the barn burn down? Why are there dark stains in the cart? Did you kill those men? Ellen can't answer without revealing the horror of the past weeks and exposing her sister's secret. In an attempt to escape Arledge, who is showing a personal interest in her, she and her sister flee to Columbia, where they are caught up in the uproar of the Confederate surrender of the city and its subsequent burning. Peppered with Civil War trivia and excerpts of letters between Generals Sherman and Hampton, Rawl's first novel shows promise but remains a bit too superficial. The historical detail, however, carries the story, and when Columbia burns, the heat is intense Melanie Duncan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 371 pages
• Publisher: Summerhouse Pr; 1st edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887714391
• ISBN-13: 978-1887714396
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,526,578 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The South will never fall, March 27, 2001

By 

Charles E. Culpepper (East Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: From the Ashes of Ruin (Hardcover)

Against the backdrop of the antebellum world, here is a story of resiliance in the face of annihilation. With a deft, loving zeal Miriam Rawl reveals the sinuous soul of an unconquerable nobility that was the Old South. This is an unsentimental, but personal panarama of a people, a place, a woman and a man that will never bow down to the mere technical defeat bestowed upon the Confederacy by ignorant historians. Here the South lives again in the tough musculature of the human heart.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being from a Northern state....., July 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: From the Ashes of Ruin (Hardcover)

Being from Michigan, thus the Union as it was in 1862, I knew the destrucion placed upon the Southern states during the Civil War was bad, but nothing could describe it as vividly as this book. Reading it I felt like I was a part of the Civil War....and I was scared. It's a wonderful book with a perspective of the war I never felt before.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Required" reading for all Americans especially Southerners., June 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: From the Ashes of Ruin (Hardcover)

This historical romance is set in the turbulent War Between the States era. Its emphasis on the major role of Columbia, South Carolina, and of local color details makes it "required" reading for all Americans especially Southerners.