Hiwassee: A Novel of the Civil War

Curtis Family #1

by Charles F. Price

This Stunning Novel is set near the end of the Civil War in the mountainous farm country of North Carolina—bordering on the Hiwassee River—a region where neighbor turned on neighbor and helpless families were preyed on by deserters from both armies and by violent gangs pretending to be military units. Madison Curtis and his wife Sarah live on a plantation that lies in the path of a gang of Union partisans, led by a vicious bushwhacker named Bridgeman. The Curtises are hiding their eldest son Andy, who was wounded in the Confederate Army. They risk torture and death to protect him from Bridgeman. We meet also the Curtis's younger sons, Jack and Howell, who are caught up in the great battle of Chickamauga, far away in Georgia, and we are offered a unique glimpse of war as the common soldier saw it—confusing, monotonous and terrifying by turns and without any discernible meaning. There too is the rebel soldier Oliver Price, a poor kindly shoemaker who hardly ever met a black man, much less owned one, but fought on to the end for his home, long after many others with much more at stake had lost heart and quit. This is a perfect little gem of a beautifully written, historically accurate and shedding light on a little-known corner of the Civil War behind the lines of the Border South. Once read, it will never be forgotten.

Genres: War, Historical

190 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Catherine Lowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Madison Curtis, the family patriarch of Hiwassee, was my great-great-great grandfather. As a girl, I visited Hayesville, NC with my family in the summers and loved visiting my Great Aunt Gertrue, the author's mother. I ran around in the hills with their dog, Lady, as I enjoyed the freedom and beauty of Western NC, which the author so aptly describes. Of his style, Charles Price said, "It’s simple and direct; the idiom and vernacular of mountain talk is in it. The best things ever about my writing have been told me by mountain folk who say, 'You write like we talk.'" In fact, I could hear my grandma and great aunts and uncles speaking as I read.

When I told my racially mixed son I was reading a novel about our North Carolina family in the Civil War, he replied, "That's not my history." So, I thought relevant a quote from the author about historical novels:
"Our schools have done us a tremendous disservice in the way they teach history as a dull, dead subject—it’s the subject most of us say we hated most. That’s because it’s never taught as something that happened to real people like ourselves or that it was both different from and very much like our own time. I feel the past ought to be recalled on its own terms, in all its complexity and ambiguity, driven by its own values. For me it’s worthy of respect; it has rights; the lives lived in it deserve to be offered up honestly. For a writer to tamper with those lives by catering to the tastes of a later age, to “clean it up” with political correctness, is, for me, an impermissible censorship. If we don’t understand the past as it was, how can we learn from it and apply those lessons to the problems of our own time? Finally, misunderstanding or distorting the past cheats the reader, who deserves to receive what he or she has sought by purchasing a historical novel—a sense of the reality of the past."
I hope my children might choose to read the story someday, as it is part of who they are.

I highly recommend "Hiwassee" and look forward to starting, "Freedom's Altar," the next in the four-book series.

[David Mc · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the novel essentially captured the plight of Madison Curtis and his family, whose home lies in the path of the two warring armies during the close of the Civil War, the scope of the story extended outward to a broader picture of the conflict. In this regard, the Curtis’s not only had to fear for the lives of their three sons serving in the Confederate army, but there was constant danger from gangs of bloodthirsty brigands burning homes and killing civilians.

For a Civil War buff (such as myself), it was interesting to see the likes of Bedford Forrest, John Bell Hood, and other notables of the war move across the pages of the book. It was also an eye-opener to read of the powerful role that religion played among the central characters; from the Curtis’s, who fully turned to the Scriptures for guidance in nearly all matters….to the young soldiers, who struggled between their religious background and the hard reality of killing one’s enemies during wartime.

While I would have rated this quick-read 4 ½ stars….I’ve rounded upward to 5-stars. Also, I’d like to thank Gary (of Goodreads), who not only referred me to this wonderful novel, but sent me a text when Amazon offered it for a whopping 50-cents.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was super interesting that this historical novel was set in our area. The story line was also interesting at times and the descriptions of the battles, etc. obviously well researched.

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good

[Legolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just happened upon this book and I'm so glad I did. Fascinatingly realistic view of a little known theatre of the US Civil War. If you are familiar with Chickamauga or Chattanooga or western North Carolina you will find this book is a real gem.

Do I recommend? Yes

Our country has never seen times as hard as they were during the civil war - not WWII, not the Great Depression - it's not even close.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

A civil war - western North Carolina read. I am beginning to understand just how awful the Civil War was for everyone - both sides. Good read.