This novel looks at the life of the only Russian officer who became a General during the American Civil War. Ivan Vasilyevich Turchaninov... better known by his Anglicised name of John Basil Turchin, was a Union Army brigadier general in the American Civil War. He led two critical charges that saved the day at Chickamauga and was among the first to lead soldiers up Missionary Ridge. He was court-martialed for allowing his men to perpetrate the "Sack of Athens", and found guilty of all charges, but President Abraham Lincoln promoted him to brigarier general, which invalidated the verdict, as an officer could only be tried by those of equal or greater rank.
Published in English for the first time in a translation by John Mandelberg.