Civil War in Oregon
When Ernest Haycox wrote this book he was in transition mode; he wanted to write novels which were not "serials" or books which the magazine market would print that had to meet certain criterion. And that shows in this work. But that does not diminish his power and style as a writer of great historical fiction; it only enhances it. Adam Musick, a river boat captain, sees all of the gold coming into the city of Portland and determines to hold that gold for the Union instead of allow the Copperheads to take it and turn Oregon into a southern slave state. Lily Barnes is there to help him as he takes on Floyd Ringrose the leader of the southern faction. Haycox's characters are always complicated individuals and they often act and react to the situation around them, but they are always full and robust, and people you know you have met somewhere in real life. This is an excellent book.