This story by Johnny D. Boggs is a western set in the time of the Civil War. The story revolves around “Galvanized Yankees” the rebels that chose to kill Indians instead of dieing in prison. They would protect wagon trains and freight wagons on the Santa Fe Trail and help regain their inner self worth. The main character is Sergeant Gil Metairie and his actions and determination to stand up for what they all believed in.
Many characters are inserted and they all play a role in the events and how they unfold to the reader. The Majors daughter, Rebecca (Becky) Rankin, is going to live with her father in a far western military fort. The attachment of these two adults, Gil and Becky, begins on the trail and is finalized in the last few pages of the book. One of the antagonists is Lieutenant Russell who is weak minded and carries a heavy grudge against all southerners. Gils past in the beginning years of the war are with him till the end of the book. These events color and shape him as he tries to over come the bad deeds done by this rebel group of outlaws that affect the lives of Becky and Major Rankin.
This tale is woven through the time that the war was still being fought and the year enlistment that the Galvanized Yankees signed up for. When the war ended some deserted but others stayed on and fought the new killers of men, women and children. The events of the story seemed realistic and kept me turning the pages.
The final part of the book shows a new twist where the once good men turn from their original way triggered by greed and the need for something out of the Army. The Civil War western is a good read and I recommend it as a good book and author to read.
One Comment
I’d never heard of “galvanized Yankees’ before. Very interesting.