Rebel Falls
In the latter stages of the Civil War, the Confederacy wanted to disrupt the northern border of the United States in the hopes of exploiting war fatigue, thereby swinging the 1864 election against President Lincoln and ultimately triggering a settlement that would end the war and recognize the Confederate states. This tale of two little-known Confederate agents, John Yates Beall and Bennet Burleigh, who were sent to pull off espionage-driven missions near Niagara Falls and in Ohio, is narrated by fictional character Rory Chase, a young woman who is a close family friend of Secretary of State William Seward. Contemporary major historical figures like Seward, President Lincoln, Walt Whitman and John Wilkes Booth make appearances in the plot.
The prose clips along at a steady and engaging pace, with edifying precision in scenes set at historical sites like the Cataract House Hotel at Niagara Falls, the last stop on the Underground Railroad for enslaved people fleeing to Canada, and Sandusky, Ohio, where the U.S.S. Michigan was moored and a major prison for Confederates was located. Photography technology of the day is explored in some detail. Protagonist Rory is drawn as a courageous young woman who is determined to do her part for Secretary Seward in dealing with the Confederate agents, while at the same time confronting her own sense of loyalty and justice. Author Wendel, who is perhaps best known for his nonfiction works, provides an entertaining story that merges an interesting but largely unknown episode from the War Between the States, with historically grounded but imagined interactions with major players in the conflict.
