Shattered Nation
Page 111
Jeff Brooks
September 12, 2013
Acknowledgements
Writing this novel has been a long, drawn-out process and I would never have completed it had I not had the help and encouragement of many people. I’d like to thank my friend Rob Brown for freely giving his time and talent to create my author website. Thanks also go out to Lana Castle for teaching me the ins-and-outs of modern self-publishing; Steven Stanley for making a beautiful map; and Craig Symonds, biographer of Cleburne and Johnston, for helpfully answering questions asked by a complete stranger.
The editing and publication of Shattered Nation was very much a family enterprise. I’d like to thank my sister Meredith, an amazing artist, for creating the truly stunning cover art, and my uncle Brian, a fellow writer, for proving to be an invaluable editor.
My parents, Lonnie and Barbara, helped the project in so many ways that I can’t even begin to list them all; it can be truly said that the book never would have seen the light of day without their support. Most importantly, if they had not taken a certain little boy on a visit to Fredericksburg, Virginia, many years ago, the author might never have developed his love for history and this book would never have been written.
My greatest thanks is reserved for my wonderful wife Jill. She not only was the bluntest and most honest editor imaginable, but provided critical and perceptive ideas regarding the plot and characters. More than anything, I thank her for her constant encouragement and support, as well as her willingness to see her husband disappear into his study for hours at a time. I love my wife more than I can express in words.
A quick final word of thanks to my baby daughter Evelyn. It was during a research trip to Georgia, while staying at a friend’s house in Acworth, that Jill and I found out Evelyn was on her way. Her arrival eight months later inspired me to the final effort necessary to complete this book.
The Civil War Trust
There were four major battles fought around Atlanta in the summer of 1864: the Battle of Peachtree Creek on July 20, the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, the Battle of Ezra Church on July 28 and the Battle of Jonesborough on August 31. These were some of the most important battles in American history, as they decided the fate of Atlanta and thereby determined the outcome of the American Civil War. Sadly, urban development has completely obliterated the battlefields. The people living, working, shopping and playing golf on the battlefields generally have no idea of the momentous and bloody events which took place on the ground underneath their feet. Unlike the case with Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and many other Civil War battlefields, there has been no major effort to preserve or protect this historically priceless land.
Tragically, this same story is today being acted out on Civil War battlefields across the country. Every year, we lose vast amounts of priceless historic land on which Northerners and Southerners fought for what they believed in. In recent years, an effort to build a Walmart on the Wilderness battlefield was only narrowly defeated. Limestone mining has inflicted terrible damage to the land on the Cedar Creek battlefield in the Shenandoah Valley, just as lignite mining has destroyed much of the battlefield at Mansfield in Louisiana. These are just a few examples. All over the country, urban development is steadily eating away at countless Civil War battlefields, destroying them like the steady dripping of acid.
This is a national disgrace and should not be tolerated.
Those readers who wish to help preserve Civil War battlefields should consider becoming supporters of the Civil War Trust, the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Civil War battlefields. To date, the Civil War Trust has preserved more than thirty-four thousand acres at over a hundred battlefields in twenty different states. Becoming a supporter of the Trust is by far the best way to help preserve Civil War battlefields.
The website of the Civil War Trust is www.civilwar.org.
About the Author
Jeff Brooks was born in Richmond, Virginia, and grew up in Dallas, Texas. He currently lives in Manor, Texas, just outside the state capital of Austin. He graduated from Texas State University with a double bachelor’s degree in history and political science and a master’s degree in history. Aside from his writing, he teaches life skills to students with special needs at Anderson High School. He is a certified wine sommelier and a devoted fan of Chelsea Football Club.
Jeff met his lovely wife Jill at a wine tasting in 2009. They married in the Bahamas in 2011. In 2013, their daughter Evelyn was born.
Shattered Nation is Jeff’s first novel.
jeff@jeffreyevanbrooks.com
www.jeffreyevanbrooks.com