This novel is based upon the life of Simon Bolivar Buckner (1823-1914), whose career included being a lieutenant general in the Confederate army, the governorship of Kentucky (1887-1891), and the nominee as a Gold Democrat for the vice presidency of the United States in 1896. The author, who lives in Prospect, acknowledged his debt to Professor A.M. Stickles, longtime head of Western Kentucky University’s history department, whose 1940 biography of Buckner is still the standard.

The author devotes little attention to Buckner’s childhood, his years at West Point and his army career before 1855, when he resigned to help his father-in-law manage an extensive estate. The heart of the novel begins in 1858, when Buckner returned to Kentucky and became commander of the state militia. As the sectional crisis became more acute, he represented Gov. Beriah Magoffin in negotiations with the Union and the newly-formed Confederate States of America in an effort to preserve Kentucky’s unique neutrality. Buckner so impressed Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, he was offered a generalship by both the North and the South. His decision was difficult, but as Buckner explained to his friend Tom Crittenden: &#8220I have chosen to support the side that seems to me to be the most interested in protecting and defending individual rights, the side that seems most respectful of the rights of states.” (122-23)

Most of the book deals with Buckner’s Civil War career. Highlights include his surrender of Fort Donelson to his friend U.S. Grant, his participation in Bragg’s poorly managed invasion of Kentucky in the summer of 1862, his dislike of Bragg as a commander, and his able leadership in defending eastern Tennessee against Union attacks. Poor health limited his service for a time, and in May 1864 he was assigned to the Trans-Mississippi command. Promoted to lieutenant general, Buckner became Kirby Smith’s chief of staff, and it was he who surrendered the Confederate army in the west on May 26, 1865.

Some of the most interesting pages in the novel describe Buckner’s postwar efforts to earn a living for himself and his family. Forbidden to return to Kentucky, he wrote for New Orleans newspapers, engaged without much success in the cotton trade and sold insurance. Allowed to return home in early 1868, successful litigation covered much of his prewar property. Buckner wrote editorials for the Louisville Daily Courier until it merged with the Journal to form the Courier-Journal.

The author spends little time with Buckner’s career after he regained prosperity. His wife, Mary, died in 1874, and he married 28-year-old Delia Claiborne in 1885. Their son, Simon Bolivar Buckner Jr., born in 1886, died as a U.S. Army general on Okinawa in 1945. During Buckner’s one term (1887-91) as Kentucky’s governor, he provided an honest, conservative administration. When state Treasurer &#8220Honest Dick” Tate disappeared with most of the state’s funds, Buckner loaned the state enough money to keep it going until tax monies came in. In 1896 Buckner was the vice presidential candidate on the minor Gold Democrat ticket; his running mate was a former United States Gen. John M. Palmer.

During his last years, Buckner enjoyed life at Glen Lily, his estate outside Munfordville, and frequent visits to Civil War battlefields and reunions. In the fall of 1913 he spoke in Bowling Green to the surviving members of the Confederate Orphan Brigade. Buckner died at his Glen Lily home on Jan. 8, 1914.

Writing this novel was obviously a labor of love for the author. Some historical errors will annoy knowledgeable readers. The Confederate government of Kentucky was established in Russellville, then moved to Bowling Green, not the reverse. (152) Confederate troops did not limp back into Kentucky after their defeat at Mill Springs; they retreated to Tennessee. (167) John Hunt Morgan had not made raids into Indiana and Ohio prior to his unauthorized raid in 1863 (239); he had not attacked Newburgh, Ind., in 1862.

Overall, this novel is perhaps better history than it is fiction. Major figures seldom emerge from the pages as believable characters who happened to be involved in the history of that period. This may be heresy for a historian, but this reader would have liked the author to present more fiction within his historical framework. But it was an interesting attempt to tell a remarkable story, and this reader will anticipate the author’s intention to continue with additional writing projects.