Marching Through Culpeper: A Novel of Culpeper, Virginia Crossroads of the Civil War - Hardcover

Morton, Virginia Beard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0615116426 ISBN 13: 9780615116426

Publisher: Edgehill Books, 2000

Synopsis

From 1861 to 1865, Culpeper County - located between Washington, D.C. and Richmond - changed hands numerous times and witnessed the movement of more troops than any locale in the nation. The book's characters, based on real soldiers and citizens, relate an authentic day-to-day feel of how it all happened, and the bloodshed and inconceivable privations that they endured. Through this unique Southern vantage point, we gain a perspective of the war rarely seen in traditional history books.

At the heart of the story are spiritied eighteen-year-old Constance Armstrong and her childhood friend, Frank Stringfellow. Constance, strong and intelligent, supports her family by running a bookstore. Two Rebels and a Yankee vie for her affection amidst the chaos of war. Frank, an irrepressible daredevil, becomes a scout and spy for J.E.B. Stuart and undertakes countless hair-raising adventures.

On and off the battlefield, Marching Through Culpeper exposes the human side of such heroes as John Pelham, J.E.B. Stuart, A.P. Hill, and George Armstrong Custer. This rich tapestry of life in a war-torn community is a story of the human spirit and the power of love.

About this title

About the Author

Virginia Beard Morton has lived in Culpeper, Virginia for over thirty years. The former teacher became fascinated with Culpeper's Civil War history and after years of research decided to tell Culpeper's story to the world. This is her first novel. She welcomes comments about the book and is available to narrate tours of Culpeper's Civil War sites.

From the Inside Flap

Constance Armstrong, youngest of two daughters, has been raised by her elderly father as the son he never had. Highly intellectual, she shares her father's love of politics. At a picnic, she meets West Point graduate Robert Beckham, whose quiet maturity attracts her.

Constance and her father become hotly embroiled in the events that lead to secession. Volunteers flood into Culpeper for training and her childhood friend, Frank Stringfellow, returns determined to join the cavalry. To his chagrin, he is rejected because of his sparse size. He gorges himself to gain weight, captures the pickets of one cavalry unit, and finally gets accepted because of his daring. He goes on to become a scout and is later referred to as "one of the most dangerous men in the Confederacy."

Following First Manassas, Constance serves as a nurse and becomes enthralled while watching John Pelham train recruits for J.E.B. Stuart's Horse Artillery. During a blizzard, Judge Armstrong finds Pelham's Alabamians without proper shelter and invites them to his house, thus beginning Constance's fascination with the dashing officer.

In the spring, the Rebels retreat through Culpeper towards Richmond and the Yankees are not far behind. Three Federals pilfer the Armstrong farm and kill an elderly freeman. Several days later, a company of Yankees led by Aaron Ames, a recent Harvard graduate, approach the farm. Furious, Constance brazenly marches out to confront them, then bitterly protests the pilfering. Her beauty and spirit impress Ames.

Beckham, Pelham, and Ames compete to win her while she struggles to survive the chaos of war. Through the pages of this epic novel march the heroes of both great armies. We share their triumphs, feel their pain, and sense their vulnerability. Virginia B. Morton vividly brings American's deadliest war to life for the reader, giving a you-are-there version of history.

Edition details

• Publisher: Edgehill Books
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0615116426
• ISBN 13: 9780615116426
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 542