The Cliffs of Leavenworth

About the Book

The Cliffs of Leavenworth is a Civil War novel. An elite group of heavily-armed Confederate soldiers crosses the Ohio into Indiana to "buy" horses and further the Southern cause. In Leavenworth, an unlikely group of men serving as "reserves for the reserves" is left to stop the "Southern Storm's" sweep through Southern Indiana. Can they do it?

A partially disabled Mexican War veteran, Capt. Elam Herndon has to create the Home Guard Reserve to fill in for the local Home Guard (forerunners of the United States' National Guard and Reserves). He finds twenty volunteers. Some of the men, ranging from almost 15 to 87, have disabilities and many have no military experience. The unit is very poorly equipped. This little group of citizen soldiers is called on to make a stand and stand they did. Facing overwhelming odds, this little band of patriots showed what they are made of at the Cliffs of Leavenworth.

The story unfolds against a colorful backdrop of how people lived and worked in the small towns where commerce and travel intertwines with the Ohio River. The author paints a vivid picture of the time and the diverse people on both sides of the war in the small Hoosier towns and at the Southern leaning "Meadowland Plantation" in Kentucky, a state divided.

Though set in 1863, there are many parallels to today. One lesson--the need for "a belt and suspenders" approach to the U.S. defenses as they fight terrorists in the modern world, increasingly relying on the Reserves and National Guard forces. If too many are deployed elsewhere, who takes their place when needed at home? Consider the example provided when Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005. The Cliffs of Leavenworth uses the past to shed light on today's concerns.

About the Author

William James (Jim) Hubler, Jr. is a new author. He has been writing songs and stories for many years. The Cliffs of Leavenworth is Jim Hubler's first published novel. There are more to come. Jim and wife Shirley live on a high bluff overlooking the beautiful Ohio River, not far from Wolf Creek, Kentucky, population 15 or so. Jim jokingly refers to the place where he and Shirley live as Rainbow Ranch, since it is their retirement home. They are located in a truly beautiful part of the world and are quite happy to be living there. Surroundings such as this tend to make it easier for a person to concentrate on story and song writing and storytelling. At least, Jim claims this to be the case.