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.
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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
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