A Civil General

George Henry Thomas was once considered the most successful general in the Civil War. Now, however, he has been nearly forgotten by historians. Born and raised in Virginia, Thomas graduated from West Point and without hesitation fought for the North, only to be disowned by his Southern family and distrusted by the Northern generals above him. Yet in death, five years after the war, he was honored with a national cortege from California to New York; 10,000 mourners attended his funeral, including President Grant and his Cabinet. The dedication of General Thomas' statue in Washington, D.C., erected by his men in 1879, was the largest celebration in the Capitol's history. This cinematic novel brings Thomas to life in his relationships with his devoted soldiers, his friends, and his loyal, independent wife. The story's narrator, a young colonel who became his confidante, absorbs the General's wisdom, grief, and commitment to carrying out the devastating battles which, he believed, would both end the war he hated and hold his country together. The novel pictures George Henry Thomas as the kind of leader America needs now-one who fights for and respects all human beings, and is determined to see America whole. David Stinebeck, whose great-grandfather fought under Thomas and recorded the experience in his diaries, has a BA from Stanford University and a PhD in American Studies from Yale, and is the author of "Shifting World: Social Change in the American Novel" and co-author of "Puritans, Indians and Manifest Destiny." Scannell Gill graduated from Union College, has an MS in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Rhode Island, and is writing an original analysis of the multi-faceted roles of women in society. Together they are working on a trilogy of novels based on the racial and economic history of Nantucket Island. After 40 years of marriage, this is their first novel.