Buffalo Soldier Isaac Rice and the women who love him struggle to make a life against determined enemies amid the violence of the U.S. Civil War, Indian Wars, America’s Reconstruction period, and spillover bloodshed from a Mexican Revolution.
Buffalo Soldier Isaac Rice’s story is an historically correct epic of love, revenge, and redemption. High adventures awaited Isaac, his friends, and enemies amid the violence of the American Civil War, Indian Wars, Reconstruction, and spillover bloodshed from a Mexican Revolution.
They meet entrepreneurs; argue the issues of their time; fall in love; struggle to survive violence, experience loss, and finally, redemption. Sourced from original 19th century documents and over a hundred books, their trails and trials unfold across South Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, Kansas, Indian Territory (Oklahoma), Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua.
Isaac is beset by utterly unforgettable characters – William, a Confederate guerilla; James, a Union cavalryman; Rachel, a black female activist in Mississippi’s Constitutional Convention; Ortega, a Mescalero Apache warrior; and Alejandra, a Mexican nurse. The voices of Isaac and his contemporaries reveal the mores, cultures, greed, genius, and ignorance of their peoples. Along with tragedy and horror, they bring history and humor into Isaac's life.
Excerpt
They slept the next day near Hamer Bayou and, around sunset, planned a night raid on the Duke farm. At first dark, they rode on and hid their horses in a draw by a small stream close to the farm. Isaac put the .44 in his belt. Since they had only one weapon, they slipped into the farm together from the west. It took two hours to crawl to the first cabin.
By a window, Caleb hummed, “Steal Away, steal away to Jesus.”
A woman inside sang, “I ain’t got long ta stay heah.”
She brought another woman out with her. Disappointed, Isaac asked, “Where is Rachel?”
The women looked at each other. After a moment, one spoke. “I knew her. She was heah last year ‘bout dis time.”
“Where is she now?”
“She left atter two days. White peoples came and took her to Natchez.”
Isaac put one hand on his face. He thought, this makes no sense but I can’t stay here asking questions.
“Do you wanna ride outta here with us?”
They nodded.
“Can you ride bareback?”
They hesitated and then nodded again.
“Who’s in the next cabin?”
“Two mens.”
“Keep’em quiet and bring’em to me.”
When the men arrived, Isaac went to the corral. There, he quieted two horses and two mules. He led the animals to his wards. Caleb took them away through the woods to their waiting horses. The second woman exclaimed, “Hallelujah!”
Professional Reviews
First Dark: A Buffalo Soldier's Story
Bob truly has a beautiful, lyrical writing style that would "make an Irish poet tear". I loved the story and the depth Bob put into characters and am really looking forward to his next book.
Bryan Haynes, UNC School of the Arts
First Dark: A Buffalo Soldier's Story
First Dark captivated me from page one as the novel became
my time travel machine into another world.
Bob Rogers’ rich description of the beasts of the field and
the landscape they roam took me back in time to our Civil
War and the struggles that followed with the “Negro,
Mexican, and Indian Problems” and into the 1880s.
The authentic dialects of characters from coastal and
piedmont regions of South Carolina and the piney woods of
Mississippi add a fresh insight into the mores and folkways
of Apaches, Mexicans, blacks, and whites.
Dr. Shelley Kirilenko, author of The Blue Kimono
First Dark: A Buffalo Soldier's Story
I thoroughly enjoyed First Dark, a roller coaster thriller about the life of Isaac Rice, a former slave. The book is rich in historical detail and scenic descriptions that allow you to taste, feel, smell , see and hear the events in the book. At first, I would check references for historical accuracy as I read. When, every check I made proved Bob's research to be correct, I stopped checking and went ahead to learn new facts as I enjoyed the story and his characters.
Dave Miller, CEO, American Red Cross National Testing Laboratory
Based on the memoirs of a Pearl Harbor survivor. Letters from two pen pals take the reader on a journey into the past, a past where nightmares came true, and when hatred reigned.
First Place Winner in historical fiction in the Purple Dragonfly Awards for excellence in children's literature, and named a U.P. Notable Classic.
Feel like you are in the moment nearly 100 years ago with a young girl, daughter of Finnish immigr
Autumn 1940. Germany invades Britain. Newport is blitzed. Danny O’Shea’s house is bombed, his wife is killed. While taking his young son Adam to neutral Ireland, they witness an attack on a German convoy. The result is brutal.
