The Silent Shore of Memory
Lt. James Barnhill is only 25 when General Hood leads the Fifth Texas Regiment against Little Round Top during the battle of Gettysburg. Hood is badly wounded, and so is Barnhill. A general with a useless arm can still command troops, so Hood is taken along when Lee’s army retreats. However, the gravely wounded Barnhill is abandoned to the care of Gettysburg’s citizens.
Barnhill convalesces with Robert Maxwell, a gut-shot soldier from North Carolina. Against all odds, Robert rallies, and James takes him home to tidewater Virginia. He falls in love with Robert’s sister Amelia, but her father forbids the match until he can support a wife in proper style. Unfortunately, before James can finish his law studies, Amelia is pressured to marry another man to keep the family plantation from ruin.
John C. Kerr brings Texas’s post-war reconstruction to life. As an attorney, and then as a judge, James Barnhill deals with carpetbaggers, speculators, and racially-charged cases. He also endures his own family difficulties when his wife becomes a laudanum addict. And all the while, Barnhill’s memories of the war, and of Amelia Maxwell, cannot be destroyed.
The Silent Shore of Memory is both a compelling war story and a serious slice of history. It is also an enjoyable read, and Mr. Kerr deals with difficult issues sensitively. Judge Barnhill brings peace and fairness to his East Texas home, and is equally dogged in his quest for personal happiness. American history buffs should definitely read this one.
