In 1861 Bethel Erwin joins the Confederate army as Private Tandy Scott to escape the dreary life of a woman in the hills. She signs up for the 2nd Tennessee Infantry along with her younger brother and cousin.
Bethel's medical skills earn her a promotion to assistant surgeon when she later deserts the CSA to join the Union army.
After the bloody battle of Shiloh, Bethel and her brother, George, come to the aid of a young widow in Corinth and their lives are changed forever.
In 1861 Bethel Erwin joins the Confederate army as Private Tandy Scott to escape the dreary life of a woman in the hills. She signs up for the 2nd Tennessee Infantry along with her younger brother and cousin.
Bethel's medical skills earn her a promotion to assistant surgeon when she later deserts the CSA to join the Union army.
After the bloody battle of Shiloh, Bethel and her brother, George, come to the aid of a young widow in Corinth and their lives are changed forever.
Excerpt
That night in the peach orchard Bethel walked the picket line near the large pond that was alread nicknamed, “Bloody Pond.” It stormed with a vengeance as Union troops fired a shot every so often and the Confederates returned the favor. Heavy rain beat the landscape without mercy.
The air was still filled with acrid smoke and the moaning of the wounded. Sharp flashes of lightening spotlighted pigs feeding on the dead laying in the water. Bethel could not stop the tears from falling down her face and she wondered when the nightmare would end. It felt like the end of the world as she stood vigil in the dark.
She tried to recall why she wanted out of those hills so badly. How lucky she would be to living a boring, and mundane life. Simple pleasures now seemed far in the past, like the sunlight coming through the window onto Anna’s thin fingers on her coffee cup or listening to Granny Carter chastise somebody for not following orders. What would Bethel give for a moment of yesterday?
Professional Reviews
Book Review by Midwest Book Review.
5.0 out of 5 stars A fine read, and not to be overlooked, October 8, 2010
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) -The Grass Widow (Volume 1) (Paperback)
The drive of a woman is not something that only appeared in the past century. "The Grass Widow" is a novel following Bethel Erwin as she serves as a nurse for both the Confederate and Union armies. Hoping to analyze the role of women in mid-nineteenth century America and the desire to be more than a housewife. "The Grass Widow" is a fine read, and not to be overlooked.
A delightfully rare Historical Novel. 85% a biography of a spy, musician, mother and her neice trapped behind German lines in World War I. This background led to a diplomatic post in World War II. Aged 92, Vera disclosed her past life one year before
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