February 1862. The War of the Rebellion is a year old and, except for minor skirmishes, the Federal army has suffered repeated defeats in the East, the West, and the Trans-Mississippi. After Confederate forces violate Kentucky’s neutrality, US Grant occupies Paducah Kentucky in order to ensure Federal access to the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers.
When Lieutenant James (Jamie) Harper returns from leave, he discovers that not only has he lost his position in a combat company but he has also lost the trust of the men in the First Iowa Mounted Rifles Volunteers.
Young, naïve, saloon girl Katie Malloy, who provides comfort to Harper on his last night of leave, must settle into her new life to work off the indenture paid to her drunkard father. She befriends Eleanor St. Croix, a former New Orleans courtesan, who promises to teach her how to exploit her position in order to become an independent woman-of-means.
The Battles for Forts Henry and Donelson provide Harper a way to demonstrate his military abilities, but the opportunity goes awry when his is captured by Confederate partisans operating under Bedford Forrest. Although Harper is in nominal command, Corporal Gustav Magnusson, a Quaker farm boy who ran away from home to join the army, is the one the captured men look for leadership.
Meanwhile, allowed to assist in nursing the overwhelming numbers of wounded from Fort Donelson, Katie envisions an opportunity for a different future.
In this first volume of the Shiloh Trilogy, three lives intertwine against the backdrop of the battles which made Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation. Gabhann reveals the perils faced by the common people caught in the midst of the War Between the States in the style of C.S. Forester and Leon Uris.

Harper’s Donelson Editorial Reviews

March 1862. Grant’s victories in the War of the Rebellion have forced the Confederates to abandon most of Kentucky. Harper and his men return to Paducah, only to learn that they must sit idle until the army exchanges their paroles. Harper’s commanding officer has found menial work for him while the others set to work repairing weapons scavenged from the Donelson battlefield. Except, word of Harper’s ability has reached Grant’s staff and they recruit him for an espionage mission.
Young Katie Malloy has found a balance in her life as a saloon-worker and a nursing aide in the ward assigned to Confederate wounded. But when her friend, Eleanor leaves the saloon to establish a club exclusively for officers, Katie is left behind working for the ruthless Loorena Bosley whose only motive is to increase profits in spite of the dangers to the working girls.
Harper recruits Eleanor’s assistant, Maggie to help find the Paducah spy ring but his frequent visits create suspicion with Eleanor. Even the now-loyal Magnusson comes to question Harper’s motives until a coordinated sabotage throughout the town throws everyone’s life into chaos.
In the second volume of the Shiloh Trilogy, some find new strength, plans fall apart, and innocents and evildoers meet their fates. Friendships and alliances form and fall apart with fatal consequences. The strong become weak and the weak become strong where allies and enemies aren’t as easily knowable as on the battlefield.
Gabhann spins a deeply moving, complex character study of espionage, personal relationships, and survival of common people caught in the midst of the War Between the States in the style of C.S. Foerster and Leon Uris.

Harper’s Rescue Editorial Reviews

April 1862. The War of the Rebellion threatens the Deep South after Grant’s army occupies most of west Tennessee. The Federals grow in strength as new recruits arrive every day and veteran divisions march from Nashville. Expectation rides the air in the Federal army. Meanwhile Confederate forces remain undetected behind their screen of first-class cavalry.
Federal Lieutenant James (Jamie) Harper has rejoined First Iowa Mounted Infantry Volunteers, bringing with him the injured Gustav Magnusson, newly-minted nurse’s aide Katie Malloy, Private Johnny Cooke, and new recruit “Wrangler” Eberhart. Despite of urging by Grant’s staff, Harper’s commanding officer still refuses to trust Harper with a combat assignment.
Katie Malloy learns that denouncing her previous life is not sufficient to take a respected place in the battalion, even though she enjoys Harper’s protection as his ward. Exposed to the true brutality of camp life and of war, she faces even tougher challenges for survival when her bravery and loyalty are put to the ultimate test on the battlefield.
Corporal Gustav Magnusson continues to struggle with his own fears and feelings of self-worth. Concerned that his injuries may compel him to return home, confused over commitments to his family and his church, and troubled by his mixed feelings for Katie, he lashes out. Yet he must push these personal troubles aside to become the leader his men need on the day of battle.
When the Rebel Army of the Mississippi launches a surprise attack, success and failure are in constant flux, life and death hang in the balance, and triumph relies on the personal decisions of the individuals at the heart of the War Between the States. Gabhann’s exquisite descriptions of men in battle follow the style of C.S. Forester and Leon Uris.

Harper’s Shiloh Editorial Reviews

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