In This Episode:

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Job and the members of the 26th Volunteer Infantry report to Camp Kirkwood to be mustered in and begin their training.  They are on the move to Missouri and Arkansas, where so far the only enemy they’re encountering is a camp-wide bout with intestinal illness and boredom.

President Lincoln had called for 900 Iowans to enlist in the cause.  When the registration detail pulled out they had eight hundred and ninety-nine men.  Job Trites and his family experience the days between his enlistment and when he will be mustered into service.

Thank you again for your continued interest in this story.  Please visit my website www.darinmichaelshaw.com to learn more about me and others of my writing projects.

We reminisce with Job back to the beginning–the day he enlisted in the 26th V.I.  The sights and sounds of the meetinghouse, and the coming together of a community for the cause, take center stage.

In This Episode:  Job is recalling more from Arkansas Post.  At home, Harriet wrestles with whether to travel to Memphis herself, or to wait at home for information from the Department of War.

In This Episode: We find Job and his family living in the aftermath of his having been wounded at Arkansas Post.

Job is disoriented.  From the advance on Arkansas Post to a transport on the river to a place altogether different–and a note from home.  He tries to put the pieces together.

The advance on Fort Hindman is fully underway, but lulls in the action allow Job time to reflect on the scene.   Meanwhile, at home, Harriet and the children long to understand God’s perspective of the conflict.

Sherman’s and Morgan’s men advance on Arkansas Post into the teeth of Rebel fortifications.  The advance is costly.  Job experiences the harshest realities of war.  General McClernand receives early word that the Rebels, though vastly outnumbered, are holding their positions valiantly.  But the battle is only just beginning.

Chronicles of War is a work of historical fiction.  The story’s lead character, Job Trites, was an ancestor of mine, and a member of Iowa’s 26th Volunteer Infantry out of Clinton County, Iowa.

You can find more information about the Battle of Arkansas Post through links posted at my website www.darinmichaelshaw.com. You can also find more information there about me, and my many literary endeavors.  Thank you for subscribing to Chronicles of War: the Podcast.

In This Episode:

The quiet of Sunday morning gives way to the thunderous roar of the smooth bores of Admiral Porter’s fleet .  Job and the men of his company begin their assault on Fort Hindman.

Chronicles of War is a work of historical fiction.  Job Trites, the story’s main character, was an ancestor of mine.  Thank you for joining me in sharing this story.

In This Episode:

Job and the men of the Army of the Mississippi experience a calm before the storm.  There is time for contemplation as the men have taken their positions beneath Arkansas Post and are waiting for the assault to begin.  Time to think isn’t always a good thing.

Chronicles of War is a work of historical fiction by Darin Michael Shaw.  You can learn more about Darin and others of his writings by visiting www.darinmichaelshaw.com

A little more of Job’s and his family’s back-story is revealed.  The morning of January 11, 1863 dawns to find the Army of the Mississippi preparing to return to action.  Meanwhile, at home, Harriet and the children receive a letter from Job.

Where historical fiction is concerned, one of the real challenges for an author is to remain true to the facts while employing a little creativity in telling the story, so as to add flesh and blood to the characters, and color to the scenes.  In this episode, for instance, you will hear descriptions of officers and one of their field meetings that has been composed utilizing eye-witness accounts lifted from diaries and surviving correspondence.  I hope that you’re enjoying the story.

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On Saturday January 10, 1863, the men of Iowa’s 26th V.I. had their first engagement with the enemy at Arkansas Post.  A few thousand Rebel soldiers were ordered to hold Fort Hindman as tens of thousands of Union soldiers surrounded them.  While numbers were squarely in the North’s favor, forboding terrain served as a staunch ally of the South.  In episode two, we take the field. 

Chronicles of War is a work of historical fiction.  Thank you for subscribing to these podcasts.  If you enjoy the story, please tell others.