Author Recounts a Time Period that Changed the Face of the South in a Story

It is so heartbreaking to think that after you fought hard and offered your service and life to something, you get a feeling of betrayal in the end. This is especially true for the main character in the story, who, after offering his life and service to keep his country together, is shunned by the very Union he fought to preserve.

Jeffersonville Georgia – WEBWIRE – Friday, July 7, 2017

No matter how good you are to people doesn’t mean they will treat you the same; you can never control someone’s loyalty.

This historical fiction is based on the service history of a certain David R. Snelling. The story happened in the year 1862 in Milledgeville, Georgia. As a young man, David took the risk to leave his uncle’s cotton plantation, and traveled to Huntsville, Alabama where he joined the First Alabama Union Cavalry Regiment. He later became the commander of his company in 1864, and was selected to command the escort cavalry of General William T. Sherman during the March to the Sea. The story describes Snelling’s loyalty and service history, and recounts his life in the volunteer Union service and how he fights to preserve the Union. The final section of the story narrates Mr. Snelling’s widow claiming for a pension after his death in 1903, and how hard it was for people like David Snelling, a Union loyal Southern man, to get a measly military pension.

You may not be usually interested in historical fiction due to some reasons, but this novel is an exemption. “The Unionist” is an excellent book to read because it somehow gives you a breath of fresh air that you don’t get much these days. It is more than a retelling of battles and action’s historical figures. This book provides readers with an accurate description of plantation life in Milledgeville. The author is able to weave the story in a way that entices readers to keep reading. Its details of the time period displays the painstaking research the author has done in relation to historical events to give utmost satisfaction to the readers.

“The Unionist” was one of the titles displayed during the 2017 National Education Association, which happened last June 30, 2017.

“The Unionist”
Written by Steven Harrell
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published date April 13, 2010
Paperback price $24.06

About the Author
Steven Harrell was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. He graduated from Tattnall Square Academy in 1978, worked his way through college, and was able to graduate. He has been practicing law in Perry, Georgia since 1989. He has written various books as an author. Some of which are The Unionist, A Novel of the Civil War and The Rifle Captain: A Novel of World War I.