Booknotes: The Colonel and the Vicar

New Arrival:
• The Colonel and the Vicar by Edward Rayner (Author, 2016).

The Colonel and the Vicar tells the Civil War story of first cousins Henry and Francis Tremlett (ancestors of the author). Also emphasizing the wartime relationship between the Civil War belligerents and Great Britain, the book combines "espionage, political intrigue, stirring sea sagas, and the crucible of battle."

"As such the story combines other historically accurate and colorful characters, with the two cousins as the central characters. Historical events are intertwined with their actual lives and the part that both men played on that stage of history. In the case of Henry, the story describes his life growing up as a member of a merchant family living in abolitionist Boston, then later as an officer in the Twentieth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment and his personal battlefield experiences during four years of war. Francis was born and raised in Newfoundland, became an Anglican priest, and founded St. Peter's Church in Belsize Park in England. Though a non-combatant, Francis was the foremost collaborator with the Confederacy in England in terms of facilitating undercover activities relating to Confederate naval operations and the acquisition of warships."