Wars are fought for different reasons. Some are power struggles. Others are for rescue or to make a change.
Wars are fueled by one thing…hatred.
The passion it takes to get a person to be willing to lay his or her life down is serious. Somebody, or something, must be stopped at all cost.
The American Civil War was no exception to this cause. People on both sides felt their cause was just and needed to be carried on while the other side felt the same passion.
Prejudices are easy for Satan to feed. They ran high during the war between the states.
Until Shiloh Comes is a story that takes place during the Civil War but it’s more about the prejudices that fed it.
Devout Christians fought on each side and felt God would bless them for fighting for Him.
The Matthews family had already lost their husband and father in the war. The eldest son was in the Battle of Shiloh within earshot of their home.
To find her son Davina Matthews must make a deal with the Yankee devil who saw him go down.
Her Christian faith would guide her as she cared for a man she didn’t trust whom her son said was his replacement just before he died.
Stanley Mitchell didn’t leave a good home environment when he enlisted at 16. His size made it easy for the recruiter to not ask many questions.
Without help his numerous wounds would have killed him.
They say time heals all wounds…and so does Christian compassion.
The weeks and months that follow see the Yankees push south out of Tennessee. But the look inside one enemy soldier would rock this faithful family to its core.
Not only did he prove to be a hard worker but he was very much like them, too. Even the slave family who helped work the farm didn’t know what to make of this young man who treated them as equals.
No, this isn’t a clean story with a happy ending. Hatred still filled Luke Matthews, now the eldest male though still a boy.
The two books that follow are winning writing awards. That much I’ll tell you.
My friend Karl Bacon’s lifelong interest in the Civil War and God’s gift of storytelling combine to make you think about how you look at life and the people you come in contact with.
Get a copy of Until Shiloh Comes. Read it with your eyes and heart wide open. You might see some prejudices in your own heart that need attention.
Until Shiloh Comes by Karl Bacon
I’ll see you later. Wade
