General Buford or General Custer? For many years I believed that General Buford’s cavalry troopers repelled several waves of Confederate infantry on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg – July 1, 1863 – using the Spencer repeating rifle. I was wrong. During my research for my historical novel Thundering Courage: George Armstrong Custer, [...]
What do Benedict Arnorld and George Custer have in common? Jusitified Defiance
In this installment, you will be introduced to the 12 different stages a mythical hero archetype goes through in his hero’s journey.[1] Then we will map Meade’s heroic journey using these 12 stages. The 12 Stages of the Hero’s Journey ONE. Ordinary World The reader meets the hero and learns about his ambitions and limitations. [...]
George Gordon Meade is one of the United States’ greatest reluctant heroes. No American has received a more important call to duty, or resisted the challenge with greater zeal, than did Meade. Reluctantly assuming command of the Army of the Potomac four days before the opening shots of the Battle of Gettysburg, he displayed brilliant [...]
In this installment, you will take a deeper dive into the details of some of Custer's fearless actions at the Battle of Gettysburg. And you will be introduced to some fascinating books and the historians who wrote them. One. Before Little Big Horn: Custer's dauntless heroism at Gettysburg For those of you (like me) who [...]
George Armstrong Custer is an American legend. Most of us have an opinion of Custer’s dramatic "Last Stand" at Little Big Horn — good or bad. But when the Civil War ended eleven years earlier, Custer was a national war hero, as mythical in fame as the Greek warrior Achilles of the Trojan War. He [...]
From Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute, October 2020 Book Reviews (page 85) "WITHOUT WARNING: THE SAGA OF GETTYSBURG, A RELUCTANT UNION HERO AND THE MEN HE INSPIRED" Reviewed by: Rear Admiral Paul Becker, U.S. Navy (Retired) "This is an amazing, exciting, easily readable historical novel. America’s Civil War and those who fought it feature prominently in [...]
My historical novel Without Warning: The Saga of Gettysburg, A Reluctant Union Hero, and the Men He Inspired, was published in June 2020. I’m excited that it has received strong reviews on Amazon, BookBub, Goodreads, and Kirkus Reviews. One of the strengths of Without Warning is its historical accuracy. That is why it took twelve [...]
HOT OFF THE PRESS: Without Warning is featured in the August 2020 edition of Colorado's own Monument Living Magazine! Charlie Searle's "Community Corner" showcases local talent - and evokes community pride. You can find more on Monument Living on their Facebook page.
Pierce begins this detailed work on June 27, 1863. It is the middle of the Civil War, and President Abraham Lincoln and his team in the White House want a change. The Rebels have invaded Pennsylvania. A wrong decision could very well lead to an attack on the nation’s capital. A messenger is dispatched [...]