Many of the incidents in the story are taken from history. The ladies of Charleston served coffee and food to Union prisoners, wanton stabbings of Union prisoners are matters of record, and the young woman in Columbia who lived across from Richland Jail and “whose heart beat for the Union” really lived and waved her handkerchief when the prisoners sang patriotic songs.
The extent of Unionist sentiment in North Carolina and eastern Tennessee has not been exaggerated and there were plenty of women like “Missus” Flint.
The descriptions of the map that Kate sent to Richland Jail were based on a map she might have copied, one published in 1861 by J. H. Colton, 172 William St., New York. This map was also used in verifying the spelling of the names of counties, towns, rivers etc. In most cases the spelling of the period has been used.
About the Author
Peter Burchard is a professional writer and illustrator.
During World War II he served in the U. S. Army Signal Corps as a radio operator on a troop transport in the North Atlantic. His first published drawings appeared in YANK Magazine.
He graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School of Art in 1947.
His active interest in the Civil War began when his grandfather’s diaries came into his hands. His grandfather, William Brokaw, joined the 96th New York Regiment at the age of sixteen, served first as a drummer boy, fought in sixteen engagements and was a Brevet Major when he was mustered out in 1865.
Mr. Burchard lives with his wife and three children in a converted barn in Rockland County, N. Y. The war experiences of his wife’s grandfather provided the basis for North by Night.
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