A Dark and Bloody Ground
Sowing the Wind
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Just then the cornstalks to either side of the road erupted
with a fiendish roar. A blunt volley of conical steel, emptying
saddles: Southern saddles. The bloodiness of the thing seemed
awful, splattering red spray, groans and thudding to the ground,
horses braying pitifully. Wheeler’s troopers eventually managed
to saw themselves around, flailing with sabers, pouring lead into
the thinning cornstalks and then tearing out and back the way
they’d come. Now it was their turn to seek the solace of friendly
lines. The roadway began erupting just as the rebel regiments
galloped back from the point of the ambuscade. Hanley’s field
pieces belching iron—explosions ripping up the road and the
adjoining corn fields, creating a protective curtain. Colonel
Wheeler drew back rearward, ensuring that his troopers had
all escaped, all except for those still laid out on the road or
amongst the brush. Falling back at length with his men, the
colonel periodically glanced back to see if their enemies were
pursuing—nothing so far. Briefly another rider drew up along
side. It was his begrimed adjutant general, Colonel McGuirk.
“Colonel Wheeler, we’ve lost the prisoners.”
“How?”
“In all the confusion, Colonel, they skedaddled into the
corn fields.
“What of our causalities? How bad?”
“It could’ve been a lot worse, considering…maybe twenty.
Lieutenant Clanton was hit and is not expected to live.”
Wheeler’s adjutant general reported.
“Unfortunate for us; he was a good soldier, reliable.”
“The 3rd Alabama got hit the worst. Company “F’ lost ten or
twelve, including Captain Cathey.” Colonel McGuirk reported
hesitantly. Colonel Wheeler slumped, a painful expression
etched on his face.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Sir; it was Cathey alright.
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About the Book
A Dark and Bloody Ground: Sowing the Wind, chronicles
the week of October 4 - 7, 1862, when the State of Kentucky lay in the
balance as vast foraging armies swept the country side; soldiers from
the North and from the South fighting and dying, staining Kentucky’s
soil with their blood. The reader witnesses these events through the
eyes of seven protagonists, four Southern and three Northern. This
novel for the first time brings to life such historical figures as
George Thomas, Leonidas Polk, Phil Sheridan and Patrick Cleburne, to
name but a few. The events of this week changed the lives of these men
and the State of Kentucky forever!
Kurt
Holman, manager of the Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site says,
“I really like this! It’s much more fun than ‘The Killer Angels.’ It’s
a real page turner. It puts you right there.”
About the Author
Michael Willever, Author:
An
ordained Baptist minister and a graduate of the Faith Bible Institute
in Corpus Christi Texas, Michael Willever has been an avid writer and
Civil War enthusiast since childhood. Having read and reread Michael
Shaara’s The Killer Angels when the book first came out in
1975, Michael says he was permanently affected and longed to someday
write his own Civil War historical fiction novel. Research for the book
series, A Dark and Bloody Ground, began earnestly in early 2004 and the first installment, A Dark and Bloody Ground: Sowing the Wind, was completed in late 2007. The second installment, A Dark and Bloody Ground: Reaping the Whirlwind, has an anticipated release date in the fall of 2010.
Michael is a member of The Civil War Preservation Trust and The Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association.
A Dark and Bloody Ground: Sowing the Wind is Michael’s first novel.
Michael R Phelps, Co-Author:
Michael R. Phelps is the Researcher and Liaison for the book series, A Dark and Bloody Ground. In this role, Michael coordinates, manages and provides the author with detailed information found in many facets of literature, documents, memoirs and archived items. As a Liaison, Michael coordinates and schedules all book signings and lectures.Michael
Phelps is no stranger to researching and writing and spending several
years in these various capacities has taught him the importance of
detail, accuracy, and originality. Drawing on years of experience in
public service, the US Army, and his religious activities, Michael now
focuses mainly on his research and serving as the author’s liaison.
Michael has had poetry published in the past and has done extensive
research for this book. Michael is a member of The Civil War Preservation Trust and The Perryville Battlefield Preservation Association.