Texas in 1860 was home for some 600,000 hardy, adventuresome souls; not counting, of course, the first Americans who had called it home since long before anyone could remember. That number was up from the 130,000 estimated population in 1845, when Henry Briden first came to the New World.
And they kept coming…and coming…and coming…from Europe…from Mexico…from the eastern states…from the southern states…from all over…pushing the frontier farther and farther west…looking for freedom…looking for opportunity…looking for a fresh start. And driving the natives deeper…and deeper…and deeper into what looked like extinction.
But what about the other side of the coin—the battle between “free” states and “slave” states? Could Henry remain neutral? He didn’t own any slaves and didn’t believe a person should own slaves, so could he just remain neutral? He had no reason to get involved, or did he?
Storm clouds were gathering, and it didn’t look pleasant.
The first book in a new trilogy about the Civil War years in the Southwest.
