Lindy Dennison and her best friend are going to Gettysburg for the annual reenactment of the battle that took place in 1863. They are about to encounter the spirit of Capt. Daniel Sutherland whose unresolved life has forced him to ponder the questions that have tortured his soul.
Captain Daniel Sutherland was 28 years old, and a graduate from Harvard University. He had been able to sense the rumbling of war drums as opposing political views were creating a severance of ideologies. He volunteered for the Union militia and was quickly commissioned a second lieutenant. After his unit was activated, his wisdom and his maturity, as well as his skills as a strategist, moved him through the ranks faster than his younger counterparts. Despite his relative youth, he was regarded as somewhat of a father figure by his troops, who turned to him often with concerns of the heart, and questions about the struggle that faced them. He always seemed to know what to say to dispel their fears. But, alone in his transient fortress of solitude, he needed to turn his own worried heart to his pen, to take solace in the wonder that was Sarah Elizabeth McKee.
His letter read:
My beloved Sarah,
I am compelled to begin this correspondence with a heavy heart, as I have received not a word from you in these past three months. There are so many things that were left unsaid with my departure from you, and I fear if I do not take this time to express them, they might forever be lost.
The battles of late have been more ferocious and destructive, each day bringing more casualties than the day before. Today, all around me lie the broken bodies of honorable men, who paid, too often with their lives, for the chance to reunite our country. As much as I am sure that you know my love for you, know also that the only circumstance that has taken me away from you is my loyalty to our country. This dream of our forefathers is on the brink of destruction, and it is my duty and my solemn trust to preserve their legacy. I will avoid any further mention of this day, as there are other important thoughts I must send to you.
Imagine all the good feelings you have ever known in your heart and then magnify them by a hundred and they would still not measure up to how much I adore you, my darling. I recall often the first instant my eyes beheld your face and I thank God that He has allowed me to memorize it, so that I can recall its loveliness in my moments of deepest despair.
If my destiny is to return home, then the day that I have you in my embrace again shall also be our wedding day. I long so much for you to be my wife and to have you become the mother of my children. However, if this is to be my last contact with you, there are apologies to be made.
My dearest Sarah, if there were times when I hurt you, I am forever sorry, for I have known only love for you in my heart and would never cause you pain intentionally. If my occasional silences have made you fearful of rejection, your fears were unfounded, for they were due only to my own feelings of inadequacy. If you saw me gaze on other women in your presence, it was only to appreciate you the more, for there is no one in the world like you. I will not, however, apologize for our last night together, for it has given me the strength to endure the horrors of war and the senseless destruction of human life.
You see, my Sarah, you are the nourishment that sustains me, the spring that quenches my thirst, and the desire that must be fulfilled. I love you, my darling, with all my heart.
I am unsure what is in God’s plan for us. If our Lord chooses to take me in the days ahead, then I suppose that would be His will, but look not to the glorious heavens above for me, as I shall remain close by. Instead, my darling, look for me in the summer wind that surrounds you, for I will be there embracing you as the warm wind brushes your hair.
Listen to the crackling fire as it burns brightly in your hearth, for it will be my passion for you, heating your very soul as you attempt to go through the wintry nights without me.
Look up when the spring rain falls, for it will be my lips delivering soft, wet kisses like the gentle passionate kisses of our last night together.
Finally, when your soft, blue eyes have grown weak through countless seasons in the sun, your strawberry blond hair has turned to soft silver silk lying gently across your shoulders, and the pages of my letters become too hard to read … I will be there. And when eternity finds you and you draw your last earthly breath, fear not your departure from this world … for I will be beside you and I will catch you as you fall.
Until forever
Daniel Sutherland
Daniel was about ready to seal his letter when he once more stared out beyond the flap of his tent. As the fog rolled in across the bloody valley, his eyes again focused on the dying, the sea of severed young lives, and he hastily added the following line …
Post Script: War has only taught me how very fragile we all are.
He lowered his pen just as his friend, company doctor Major James Muny, arrived at his tent to demand that he get to the hospital so they could clean and dress his wounded limb.
“Dan, you don’t want to lose your leg today … do you?” The doctor stood in the doorway and stared impatiently at the Captain with a look of intolerance. Getting no response he turned, kicking the air as he headed back toward the makeshift hospital. Daniel looked down at his leg and knew his friend was right.
The heavy fog was becoming a moist blanket covering the scene of military death as Daniel slowly limped through the fog toward the hospital.
Excerpt
Fear not your departure from this world because I will be beside you and I will catch you when you fall.
Professional Reviews
The Gettysburg Ghost
Philip N Rogone pens an impressive tale of love and longing that spans time and generations. Especially enjoyable was the intertwining of the story lines, going back and forth between past and present can sometimes be a confusing transition, but not in this book. Although I much preferred to hear about Daniel and Sarah during the Civil War.
One drawback I saw was that at times the characters reactions seemed a bit unbelievable. I would think one would be overwhelmed to learn that their heritage was not as they’d believed and yet Sam seemed to take it all in stride. They were all quick to scoff at Thomas’ obvious transgression, but seemed to ignore the fact that Sarah also kept a family-devastating secret. Lindy and Jane, although enjoyable characters, seemed to fall in love very easily and their girlish banter was a bit immature. Despite the fact that the letters were extremely important to the storyline and beautifully worded, the changing of the font was distracting.
Overall, I think this book is a great read for a lover of historical romances with a contemporary twist.
Reviewed by Lighthouse Book Reviews
4 out of 5 beacons
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