The Yankee Widow by Linda Lael Miller

  The Yankee Widow by Linda Lael Miller. Mira, 2019. Historical fiction, adult.

When Jacob Hammond leaves his wife, young daughter, and farm near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to fight as a Union soldier, he cannot anticipate the future. When Jacob is wounded and taken to Washington, D.C., Caroline Hammond goes to find him. The story really begins when she goes back to the farm. She depends on Enoch, an African American who has become friend and ally to the little family. Escaped slave Jubie arrives, pregnant, and with a slave catcher on her heels. Then, the war itself finds its way to her own yard and orchard. Both Union and Confederate soldiers become part of Caroline's story.

Told in straightforward words, Miller does a fine job of describing scenery, action, and characters. She has obviously done a great deal of research and it shows in the little details. Those unfamiliar with the American Civil War will learn a great deal about the loyalties and action on both sides of the fighting.