A Novel of the Civil War in East Tennessee
by
Set among the villages, woods, farms, and hollers of eastern Tennessee during the American Civil War, we enter the heart and mind of a plainspoken young farm boy as he experiences love, loss, and betrayal as the Civil War tragically turns long-time friends and neighbors into bitter enemies. Despite his fears, he is drawn into the fighting and joins a group of Union guerrillas in their bitter life-and-death battles against murderous Confederate bushwhackers. Spurred on by incredible loss and heartbreak, he hunts down the one man who has taken nearly everything away from him.
It was the middle of April 1861 when my father’s cousin, Robert Burden, rode up with his mule and wagon at a furious pace to our farmstead as we were planting our annual crops. He breathlessly told us the news that Confederate forces in South Carolina—the first Southern state to leave the Union in December 1860—had fired upon and seized Fort Sumter, a federal citadel in Charleston, South Carolina.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It means a fearsome storm’s comin’ over this land,” Robert said. “It means war!”
My father and my brothers and I looked at each other. My father told his cousin he was worried about his farm.
“If they square off on my land,” Father said, “and get to fightin’ each other, I ain’t sure what I’ll do.”
I sure ain’t goin’ to fight in this war, I thought.
Diane Donovan, Sr. Editor of Midwest Book Review on Midwest Book Review wrote:"There are many weighty, epic books about the Civil War; though Mauser's is small by comparison, it carries just as much punch. It's quick-paced and intense, a story about revenge, loyalty, and a boy's growing into a man. Through James Meecham's eyes, we see not only the moral struggle of opposing slavery while living in the Southern state of Tennessee but also the moral struggle of being unwilling to fight to end it. This book is a fresh look at the Civil War, and I highly recommend it!"
"This Leavened Land: A Novel of the Civil War in East Tennessee introduces seventeen-year-old farm boy James Meecham, who senses the winds of war are arriving to buffet his family’s farm before the soldiers set foot on their property. His first-person observations of their fifty-acre homestead and the people who become caught up in the war creates an especially gripping Civil War account that is as much about battles of the heart and mind as it is about military engagement. Many of the boy’s observations and assessments will resonate with modern readers interested in situations where social and political conflicts arise:
" The crowd cheered. Men tossed their hats in the air and women waved their handkerchiefs.
'God bless the Confederacy!' someone cried out.
The crowd kept cheering as my brothers and I made our way to our wagon and went home. A fearsome storm is coming across this land, I thought. "
Also notable is how James chooses to treat those around him as he grows up, navigates new situations and ideas, and confronts dangerous situations that arise from a journey and the clash of the Confederates and Yankees who are fellow Americans. Thomas Mauser employs realistic scenarios and local dialogue to cement the experiences of his characters, which brings the story to life:
“ 'I’ve heard Kansas jayhawkers scalp every Confederate they kill,' the soldier named Tad said.
'You Tennessee fellers scalp dead rebels?' the tobacco-chewing soldier asked.
'Every rebel we’ve killed so far has been bald-headed,' Jedediah said. "
From how the Union army occupies large swaths of private lands and changes the nature of the countryside to what it takes to remain “real decent” in a milieu of inhumanity and cruelty, Mauser explores a range of issues related to the Civil War and its impact not just on families and communities, but moral and ethical values. Libraries interested in a Civil War novel packed with inspections that go beyond political confrontation to probe the choices made by ordinary people in a whirlwind of conflict will find This Leavened Land a powerful saga that brings history to life. Replete with reflections that will also give rise to strong book club discussions and history reading group insights, This Leavened Land creates a winning chronicle of discovery that is worthy of wide recommendation—even to those not normally interested in Civil War stories or historical novels. It’s that powerful."
