The General's Double

4.5 stars
The only thing keeping this from five stars is the slightly confusing sequence of events at the beginning and the cursing. (D, h, G, and n) I especially loved how the characters are all so strongly drawn. Though the writer has Union sympathies, he refrains from scathing remarks about either side, and seeks simply to tell a story of the general battlefield.

Jack Lowndes had a penchant for drink and was throwing away his birthright. His father tried to steady him by a harsh hand and stern edict, but his mother, sister, and sweetheart used gentle pleas. The start of the Civil War steadied him and gave him purpose. Too late; for a final quarrel with his father and a misunderstanding with his sweetheart after his mother's death led him to a desperate course of action when he found himself left for dead at Bull Run. Under a new identity, he seeks to build a clean and honorable name, keeping away from strong drink and even eschewing most companionship. A further mishap with his sweetheart takes all hope from him, and thus we find him in this story: a committed, valiant soldier, fearless in battle and ready to do justice to both sides of the war (He's Union and his sweetheart is Confederate). When his chief rival is caught and given a charge of spying, he has to make the most agonizing choice a lover can make.