The Red and Blue. A Civil War story never told.
The Red and Blue
The Red and Blue is a collection of fictional diary entries by a 17-year-old woman who served in America's bloodiest conflict. The story follows a runaway black slave girl who seeks safety in their home outside Leesburg Virginia. The girl is brutally raped and killed by Confederate troops before the Battle of Ball's bluff on 20 October 1861. Henrietta, who cut her hair and dressed like a man, joined the Union army and faced some of the war's bloodiest battles. Her gallantry earned her a battle field commission and led her to be captured by Confederate soldiers and taken to Libby Prison in Richmond Virginia.
Her identity was discovered by a Native American woman who helped her escape. They fled north through enemy lines to Leesburg, where they married as Mr. and Mrs. Henry L. Walker. They lived their lives as husband and wife while concealing their real sex. The Red and Blue serves as a testament to the resilience and sacrifices made by women during the American Civil War.
Sin in the Forbidden City
Sin in the Forbidden City
14-year old Morgan learned to fight and survive in the streets of Lower East Manhattan against rats, murderers, and thieves in pre-Civil War America. She earned a position in the Brooklyn ship yards as a caulker but became infatuated with sailing ships and joined the Union navy to serve 4 years in the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico including several battles.
A discovery in the last year of the war ensured her a comfortable lifestyle and she purchased a three-mast ship to explore the world. Captain Morgan later thwarted a vicious attack by an Imperial Japanese navy ship on a small Chinese junk north of Hong Kong and recovered two survivors.
The Emperor of China had been assassinated and one of the two survivors was heir to the throne. A sudden violet storm forced the ship on ground allowing Morgan time to fall deeply in love with the woman she would spend the rest of her life with.
Morgan’s diary takes us through battles to the richly adorned Chinese architecture often over a thousand years old all the while managing to conceal her sex.
Sin in the Forbidden City is based on Chinese Song Dynasty folk tales regarding the ancient belief of the magical relationship two women could share.
Cinna, Queen of the Britons. c. 397-431.
In 1494, a monk discovered an obscure manuscript collection in Canterbury, England, containing the life of Cinna Cassia, Queen of the Britons during Briton's post-Roman era. The monk was impressed by the limited information he reviewed, and visited archives in France, England, Scotland, and Italy to further his appreciation of her.
When Rome withdrew from England in 410 A.D., the vacuum encouraged invasions from countries who prized the island, mainly the Anglo-Saxons. Cassia refused to be ruled by anyone other than herself, leading to her election as queen. She formed and trained armies, provided them with modern weapons and tactics, and understood the importance of treating wounded soldiers. Cassia married a woman named Lily, who established an education system for all, including her son Arthur.
The monk published a book about Cassia in 1518, but found no interest in her from scholars or historians. The king noticed and prosecuted the monk for supporting same-sex relationships, leading to his execution. In 1909, a librarian discovered a moldy water-stained copy in a Parisian library, and the book was returned to its proper location.
This fictional story would fit into the vast void of early post-Roman English history, where same-sex relationships were regarded differently due to religious powers altering beliefs through text interpretation.
Lamplighter
Fiona Abernethy, born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1960, discovered her mother's personal artifacts after her death in 2010. She discovered Colette Madeline Bonnet's diaries, which were both inspiring and terrifying. Colette shared her experiences during the French Revolution, including the Battle of Bastille, the Mount Vesuvius eruption, and the battles in Rome and Rome. Annette also shared her pilgrimage to the Isle of Lesvos and their adventures sailing in the Mediterranean Sea.
The family moved to Connecticut to teach at an all-female school to help young women of special needs and slaves. Annette became the guardian of Fiona Rose Abernethy, who grew into a strong woman of intelligence, grace, and dignity. The diaries passed through the family through Fiona's marriage.
The diaries were criticized for hiding her love for another woman and hiding from the country she loved during the turbulent period of French history. Many pages were missing or damaged, and a few were damaged from spilled ink. The pages that were ripped from the diary are particularly intriguing, as we will never know what happened during those periods and what Colette was involved in.
The fictional story told through diary entries is based on true events in history, a story of strong and well-educated women who believed their education and love for one another could benefit other women. This story was during a period when religion had biased opinions based on interpretations of religious texts.