American Civil War: Beyond Scarlett and Rhett

The 25 Best Books for Studying the Civil War

Diane Wylie — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 23:35:55 +0000

If you are interested in studying the Civil War, one group has put together a list of what they feel are the 25 best books for studying the U.S. Civil War.

Here is the link:

http://www.onlinecolleges.net/2012/01/09/25-books-studying-civil-war/

Filed under: Civil War Stories, Civil War Timeline, Confederate Generals Tagged: books, Civil War

Knights of the Golden Circle

Diane Wylie — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:54:46 +0000

Have you seen the History Channel show, Brad Meltzer’s Decoded? There was an episode of the show that came on at the end of December about hunting for buried gold. Legend has it that the Confederates amassed a fortune in gold and treasure and buried it with the goal of using it later to fund an insurrection to get the South out of the Union.

http://www.history.com/shows/brad-meltzers-decoded/episodes/#slide-5

How I wish that I could get Brad Meltzer to read my novel, ADAM’S TREASURE. What treasure was Adam searching for in my book? Why, the exact same Confederate gold featured in the TV show!

If you get a chance to watch that show, you will find it fascinating that the Knights of the Golden Circle was a secret society formed to protect the gold. Rumor has it that the society still exists. Hmm, maybe?

So, if you like this topic, check out ADAM’S TREASURE, and read a fictional account of how it could have turned out.

~Diane Wylie

http://www.dianewylie.com

Filed under: Uncategorized

Wonderful Review for Adam’s Treasure

Diane Wylie — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 22:54:18 +0000

www.thewildrosepress.com
E-Book/Paperback
$7.00/ $14.99
318 pages
Historical Romance
Rating: 4 cups
Marilla Logan is looking for a way out. Being forced to work as a tavern wench after the death of her father, Marilla is seeking revenge for the loss of her family, fiancé and family farm on the Confederates who frequent the tavern. The only thing she has been able to do so far is spit in their drinks, until one day she steals a package she hopes will be worth a pretty penny when she sells it to the Federals
A Pinkerton agent, Adam Skelding is trying to find documents that lead to the gold and silver that General John H. Morgan stole from people and churches. The ex-Confederates are hoping to use these coins to finance the re-start of the Civil War.
Adam catches Marilla stealing the packet of papers. He lies in wait for her to return to her room, but he gets a nasty surprise when she assaults him. One event leads to another until they are on the run from the men Marilla lifted the packet from…together. With the help of another agent, Adam uses a Confederate deciphering disk to unravel the coded documents. When Allan Pinkerton hires Marilla as an agent, he assigns Adam to go undercover into the Knights of the Golden Circle, a Confederate alliance. With one week, Adam has lessons to teach her, and Marilla is willing to learn. A trip into a secretive underground and the couple finds they are on the adventure of a lifetime.
For me, sexy men who live life on the edge are a must have when it comes to romance. Adam Skelding certainly fills that requirement. When you add Marilla to the mix with her humor and adventuresome nature, you get a story that is fun and exciting. It was only as I turned each page that I was able to catch my breath. Ms. Wylie has managed to pack quite an entertaining tale between the covers of this book. I devoured this book within a very brief period of time. I encourage you to add Adam’s Treasure to your collection so that you, too, can follow Adam and Marilla in their journey.
Kimberly
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookReviews/adamstreasurebydianewylie.html

Filed under: Civil War Stories Tagged: adventure, American Civil War, Diane Wylie, Knights of the Golden Circle, Pinkerton agents, romance, treasure

Jenny’s Passion

Diane Wylie — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:33:26 +0000

Filed under: Uncategorized

Thank you to Victorian Era Lovers

Diane Wylie — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 00:15:59 +0000

Click to visit the Victorian Era Lovers Website

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Lila’s Vow – Awarding Winning Civil War Novel

Diane Wylie — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:37:06 +0000

Lila's Vow by Diane Wylie

Reviewer’s Choice
Award

Lila lives with her mother in the little town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania when the Union army faces off with the Confederates in the summer of 1863. Among the wounded is Captain Jack Montgomery, a man she will never forget. As the battle rages, Lila and her mother care for the overwhelming numbers of wounded and the many who die in spite of their efforts. Lila and Jack marry in the midst of the brutal war but their honeymoon is short lived. Jack returns with the Seventeenth Calvary and is captured by the Confederates and taken to prison where he suffers from starvation and malaria.

Lila believes Jack has died and, to avenge him, becomes a spy assisted by a Pinkerton agent named Andrew who becomes enamored with Lila. But Lila’s heart is taken and Jack fills its entire space even if he is dead. She doesn’t care that she’s in imminent danger as long as she can avenge Jack’s death. Meanwhile, Jack’s best friend, David, who was also wounded, ends up in prison with Jack. Together, they manage to escape but Jack is very altered by the consequences of war and imprisonment. There is only one person on earth who may be able to make him happy again, his wife, Lila.

This is where the adventure really begins. Lila’s Vow is a fantastic ride through history and a love that would not surrender to the devastations of the most terrible war America has ever known. Ms. Wylie captured the
Civil War in vivid detail and I believe I learned some things I did not know
before I read this book. Ms. Wylie created a story of great joy and absolute sorrow. I could not put this book down. At times the sorrowful events ripped at my heart and, at others, it soared with the ability of the characters to overcome impossible circumstances. The characters were flawed and beautiful in their strength of purpose and pure grit. Ms.
Wylie made me believe in them as if they were breathing people with all the defects and wonderful spirit of humanity. Lila’s Vow is an unforgettable story. I look forward to reading about Jack’s friend, David, in her upcoming book, Jenny’s Passion. Bravo Ms. Wylie, Lila’s Vow is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

http://www.twolipsreviews.com

I hope you’ll try LILA’S VOW.

Diane Wylie

http://www.dianewylie.com

Filed under: Civil War Stories, Civil War Timeline, Uncategorized

Knights of the Golden Circle

Diane Wylie — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 23:44:44 +0000

http://www.history.com/shows/brad-meltzers-decoded/episodes/#slide-5

How I wish that I could get Brad Meltzer to read my novel, ADAM’S TREASURE. What treasure was Adam searching for in my book? Why, the exact same Confederate gold featured in the TV show!

So, if you like this topic, check out ADAM’S TREASURE, and read a fictional account of how it could have turned out.

~Diane Wylie

http://www.dianewylie.com

Filed under: Uncategorized

Message from a Reader

Diane Wylie — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:13:08 +0000

We received the following lovely note from a reader. I hope you will check out her website for more information on the U.S. Civil War.

Diane

Hi!

My name is Lauren Jackson and I wanted to provide feedback on your page, http://acwbeyondscarlettandrhett.wordpress.com/. I’m not sure if you’re the right person to contact, but I wanted to tell you that since I have been working on creating some new Civil War resources, your page was a great source of information.

As a thank you, I thought I would pass along this additional resource I have been using as well in case you were looking to add more to your page. I have been using material from this page, http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/library/civil-war-teachers. It has a ton of great Civil War resources that you and your users may find useful!

Thanks Again
Lauren

Filed under: Uncategorized

Civil War Curiosities

Susan Macatee — Tue, 25 May 2010 00:19:29 +0000

I’ve been reading a book called, More Civil War Curiosities by Webb Garrison. Thought I’d post one of these interesting facts. I’ll be back with more from time to time.

On August 23, 1861, Allen Pinkerton placed Mrs. Rose Greenhow O’Neal, an attractive widow, under house arrest. He suspected that someone in Washington D.C. had been providing a steady flow of vital information to the enemy. Mrs. O’Neal was implicated after checks of letters and telegrams she’d received and was sent to the Old Capital Prison by a military guard.

Mrs. O’Neal’s parties were the talk of Washington. Everyone who was anyone attended them. She’d entertained many high Union officials.

During a search of her home, a large packet of love letters was discovered signed only with the initial “H”. It was suspected they were from Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts, but no conclusive evidence was found to confirm it. It was thought Mrs. O’Neal may have forged the letters to implicate the senator.

She was held, with her 8-year-old daughter and a few other women, as a political prisoner in custody of the Department of State. But while in prison, she was able to continue her correspondence with Confederates. She may have doomed the Federal assault of Bull Run, the first battle of the Civil War, by informing General P.G.T. Beauregard of their plans.

Although she was obviously guilty, no one, including Abraham Lincoln, initiated any action against her. It seemed most Federal officials feared embarrassing information regarding them would emerge if she were interrogated. They decided instead of convicting her, she should be banished from the Union for the duration of the conflict.

Along with two other women prisoners, O’Neal was taken to Fort Monroe, Virginia. After a short period of detention, they were led to the Confederate lines and released.

Mrs. O’Neal traveled to England and returned on the blockade runner, Condor. The ship was forced aground by Federals. She jumped ship to avoid capture and drowned near Wilmington, South Carolina on October 1, 1864.

From the book More Civil War Curiosities by Webb Garrison, available at Amazon.com.

Filed under: Civil War Stories, Rose Greenhow O'Neal, Uncategorized Tagged: American Civil War

Diane Wylie — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 23:17:31 +0000

Good news from Vintage Romance Publishing today. SECRETS AND SACRIFICES by Diane Wylie has been chosen to be one of three books the publisher will list with the International Rights Book Fair. This is a very nice honor!

~Diane

http://www.dianewylie.com

Excerpt from SECRETS AND SACRIFICES

As dawn broke, Charlie got stiffly to her feet and made her way off into the brush to relieve her full bladder. It was always a fearful time, crouching in the weeds and trying to keep a lookout for any stray soldier coming across her path. Completing her mission, Charlie went back to camp and was soon occupied with getting ready with the other soldiers who were preparing to mount a surprise attack against the unsuspecting Federals.

“Go!” came the command and Charlie, with Clarence a few feet away, ran through the trees, rifle loaded and yelling at the top of her lungs. Leaves, pine needles and snow crunched under her brogans. She hated those Yankees. They were the invading army and they had killed Josh! They would die now for what they did! She repeated this vow each time they encountered the enemy.

More fallen maple and pine trees blocked their way up ahead. She could see the gray and butternut uniforms scattered on both sides of her, all of them running toward the enemy’s reported position. Some of the Rebels were firing, but Charlie didn’t see any blue uniforms yet. She didn’t fire…just held her gun at the ready as she ran with her heart in her throat.

Shouting and gunfire ricocheted through the trees. Puffs of smoke from the guns and the men’s steamy breath could be seen easily in the frosty air.

Suddenly she saw the Bluecoats. Lots and lots of the despised Bluecoats had appeared as if conjured up by magic. They leaped up from behind the fallen logs with rifles blazing. The shots ripped through a soldier on her right and he went down screaming. Charlie threw herself to the ground and fired. A Yank fell back, holding his shoulder as bright red blood streamed down his chest. Her fear of the dreaded enemy vanished in the next heartbeat as she saw the pain and fear on the man’s pudgy face seconds before he fell. He was just a man.

There was no room for second thoughts, no room for doubt now! Ripping a paper cartridge open, she poured the power in and reloaded her rifle. Screaming and yelling filled her ears and she wanted to jump up and run away from the chaos. Gritting her teeth, she clamped down hard on the primitive flight instinct and took aim once more. Again she hit her chosen target and he went down on the hard frozen ground.

Bullets whistled by her ears, plowing long furrows in the ground all around. More shelter! She had to find something to get behind! A gray pall of smoke began to gather in the low-lying hollows. Charlie ran behind a large tree and crouched low behind it, kneeling on a protruding root that cut into her leg uncomfortably. Using her teeth, she tore open another paper cartridge, tasting the black powder before going through the motions of loading once more. By now she was so used to the routine that it came easily, like second nature.

Load, aim, shoot. Load, aim, shoot. Where was Clarence? It hit her suddenly that no Confederate uniforms were in her field of vision. Union soldiers were still in front of her, advancing through the trees to her left with guns spitting fire, stepping over dead bodies and abandoned gear lying in the snow. Panic swept over her and her heart seemed to pound so hard that she expected the Yankees to all turn and look in her direction. Dear Lord! Where did they all go? Was she the only Reb left? There was no denying her instincts this time, when fear shot through her so hard that her teeth chattered.

Clutching her rifle to her chest, Charlie ran.

Filed under: Uncategorized