By Dan Bracewell
Its been awhile since I’ve posted and I think I should go ahead and put up something–for those of you who are following me (let’s see I think there might be one of you)–here’s whats going down with the Gideon Plan.
I’ve been doing a lot of research and have written about thirty scenes that may or may not make it into the final story. I have learned a hell of a lot about the Civil War during this time and based upon what I’ve learned, I’ve made some changes to the story premise and characters. Here’s a few of those.
Charles Gideon is the antagonist (it was William Talbot, but he wasn’t fitting with the theme). His character is based primarily upon Nathan Bedford Forrest (with a touch of Stonewall Jackson and Chatham Wheat). He’s frontier-tough and a military genius. Unlike Forrest, he has gone to West Point (which historically would probably have been a deadly combination if it were true). He got his start with irregular warfare as a member of the Second Dragoons during the Mexican War fighting Mexican guerrilleros. He’s fought as a filibuster in Mexico and Nicaragua and as a mercenary in Italy. He’s a charismatic fanatic who believes God has made him the instrument in the expansion of the supremacy of the white race and the southern way of life.
The secret society, the Knights of the Golden Circle, is prominently featured in the story. Gideon’s guerrillas are the military arm of this Order.
There is a Union cavalry officer who is trying to find out who these mysterious guerrillas are at the peril of his life.
Gideon’s core group of guerrillas are men he has fought with for many years before the war and represent some of the toughest sons-of-bitches the world has seen including a Texas Ranger, a sharpshooting mountain man, a Cherokee tracker, a British Adventurer, and a bare knuckles and knife fighter from New Orleans.
Gideon is recruiting men of exceptional skill and courage who possess an unfaltering belief in Southern Rights and liberties from the ranks of the regular Confederate military.
As the war proceeds and the south’s plight becomes more desperate, Gideon’s guerrillas take on a more sinister character. This creates a fraction in the group as well as with the rest of the Confederacy.
This is all for now. I hope to get another sample chapter up soon.
About danbracewell
I live in St. Augustine with my wife and two daughters. I have a unique background in history and video games. My lifelong goal is to marry the two concepts. I am a huge history buff and I love to write.
http://danbracewell.wordpress.com/2012/01/05/gideon-plan-update/
The Knights of the Golden Circle Research and Historical Archives
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle
http://knights-of-the-golden-circle.blogspot.com
http://knightsofthegoldencircle.webs.com
