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Fort Sumter

Shelling of Fort Sumter, South Carolina
Fort Sumter:
In April 1601, our cast from Charleston meets at a harbor bistro to watch and toast the shelling of the recently built Fort Sumter by the new Confederate forces. Toasting each hit while dreaming of rapid victory and return to the great days of the south as an independent confederacy. Here the reader meets Caesar, an old crippled, colored servant, who works in the bistro. They unwillingly give this old man the will to escape and eventually join the Negro regiment in Detroit (more on this later). Read More 
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CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA

Shakley
CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA
A secondary venue at the beginning of book 7 is Charleston, South Carolina where a group of wealthy slaveholders meets to discuss policy at direct odds with northern abolitionists in Detroit. The thread between these two poles is the notorious, one-eyed, Fillmore P. Shakley, former runaway slave catcher turned black marketer and purveyor of all things illegal, immoral, and profitable. Read More 
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Detroit Farmer's Market and the Civil War

Detroit Farmer's market, 1880 (roof added after 1860)
THE DETROIT FARMER’S MARKET:
The story opens in the historical farmer’s market located at what is today Campus Martius and Cadillac Square. For generations this was the place for the French farming families to sell their wares, legal and otherwise, and for the community to buy them. It was also the place to go for the latest news, and for the French-Canadian Detroiters, the place to catch up on and spread gossip. As the story opens, in November of 1860, the topic du jour is more global than usual, the election of President Lincoln and the prospects of war. Read More 
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The Witch

THE ALLARDS BOOK SEVEN: THE WITCH
In 1861, Moise and Marie-Anne Allard have not yet recovered from the difficult birth of their first son, Moses, when Marie-Anne’s brother, her cousin and an old friend join thousands of young Detroiters marching off to war, returning four long years later as Detroit enters the industrial age. The Allards are guided by their unforgettable great-grandmother, Mimi Balard, while being threatened by their old nemesis, Fillmore P. Shakley, a slave catcher turned carpetbagger, when he returns to Detroit for revenge.
As a young adult, Moses Allard leaves the farm for marriage and the city life but eventually returns to the farm weary of labor unrest. While the 19th century comes to a close, the groundwork is laid for Detroit’s famous crime syndicate which will deeply affect the family into the 20th century and Book Eight.
All of Dr. Kreis’ books are available in print and Kindle format on Amazon.com. Read More 
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The Medallion

OK, the most common question I am asked in my website wilmontkreis.com, “Is the medallion real?” The answer is more complicated than that and with further reflection, I think it may involve an entire new book, so stay tuned and come back next week to begin THE ALLARD BOOK SEVEN: THE WITCH. Thanks for stopping by. Read More 
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