The Land of Blood and Bullets

In 1858, members of Found Grace Church moved from northeastern Illinois to Kansas and established New Found Grace Church and the town of Brotherton. There, they fought off a number of attacks by rabid anti-abolitionists, and Brotherton grew as Emigrant Aid Society sponsored east coast residents joined them. Then the citizens of Brotherton voted for Kansas to enter the Union as a free state, not one supporting the abomination of slavery.

In 1861, the Civil War begins. Shortly thereafter, Addison Freeman and others from Brotherton save Winifred Martin from a band of outlaws who had murdered her parents and brother. It turned out that the outlaws were pro-Union, and on their way to join a Kansas militia unit in southeastern Kansas. The leader of the band knew Winifred's father to be for States' Rights, and he decided Winifred's father should be hung, and the farm robbed.

Addison and his friends did not arrive on the scene in time to save Winifred's family, but they did save her from the pro-Union bandits.

It seemed as if it was easier to tell friends from enemies before the war started.

J. J. Zerr enlisted in the United States Navy after high school. While in the service, he earned a bachelor and a master's degree in engineering disciplines. During Vietnam, he flew more than three hundred combat missions. He retired after thirty-six years of service, then worked in aerospace for eleven years. He began writing in 2008 and has published fourteen novels and a book of short stories. He and his wife, Karen, reside in St. Charles MO. Discover more about the author and his work by visiting his website at www.jjzerrbooks.com.