Patriots and Rebels

PATRIOTS AND REBELS is a true story, imagined, and set in the years 1863-65. In it we encounter the stark reality of patriotism and rebellion played out in the words, thoughts, experiences and emotions of Thomas Files and his fourteen-year-old daughter Mary Francis. Born and raised in the hill country of north Alabama, Tom is determined to defend the United States of America as his ancestors had done in 1776. His strong sense of patriotic loyalty places him and his family in situations of profound conflict and danger. Patriots and Rebels is based on the actual records of real people, as found in the National Archives and published biographical sketches. There were at least a hundred thousand men like Tom Files – white Southerners fighting for the Union – from every Confederate state except South Carolina. Their story has been largely neglected, particularly in historical fiction.

>>> “A STANDOUT IN CIVIL WAR LITERATURE”

“Patriots and Rebels is an impressive work that combines both engaging storytelling and historical fact and context. Commitment to historical accuracy without relying on common myths or stereotypes has established this book as a standout in Civil War literature”

WILLIAM R. FERRIS, Professor of History, University of North Carolina; Center for the Study of the American South; former chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities.

JOHN C. BUSH was born in the Florida Panhandle and grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, with ancestral roots in Virginia Colony, 1670. His career as a Presbyterian minister took him from Alabama to Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky and Michigan and back to Alabama. In retirement, he and his wife make their home in the Tennessee Valley of North Alabama, placing them in and near many of the locations where much of this story takes place. He is author or editor of four non-fiction books; PATRIOTS AND REBELS is his first novel.