
Produced by David Widger
CONTENTS OF THE ENTIRE SET: - BOOK I - Volume 1. I. Which Deals With Origins II. The Mole III. The Unattainable Simplicity IV. Black Cattle V. The First Spark Passes VI. Silas Whipple VII. Callers - Volume 2. VIII. Bellegarde IX. A Quiet Sunday in Locust Street X. The Little House XI. The Invitation XII. "Miss Jinny" XIII. The Party - BOOK II. - Volume 3. I. Raw Material. II. Abraham Lincoln III. In Which Stephen Learns Something IV. The Question V. The Crisis VI. Glencoe - Volume 4. VII. An Excursion VIII. The Colonel is Warned IX. Signs of the Times X. Richter's Scar, XI. How a Prince Came XII. Into Which a Potentate Comes XIII. At Mr. Brinsmade's Gate XIV. The Breach becomes Too Wide XV. Mutterings - Volume 5. XVI. The Guns of Sumter XVII. Camp Jackson XVIII. The Stone that is Rejected XIX. The Tenth of May. XX. In the Arsenal XXI. The Stampede XXII. The Straining of Another Friendship XXIII. Of Clarence - BOOK III - Volume 6. I. Introducing a Capitalist II. News from Clarence III. The Scourge of War, IV. The List of Sixty V. The Auction VI. Eliphalet Plays his Trumps - Volume 7. VII. With the Armies of the West VIII. A Strange Meeting IX. Bellegarde Once More X. In Judge Whipple's Office XI. Lead, Kindly Light - Volume 8. XII. The Last Card XIII. From the Letters of Major Stephen Brice XIV. The Same, Continued XV. The Man of Sorrows XVI. Annapolis - THE CRISIS - BOOK I - CHAPTER I - WHICH DEALS WITH ORIGINS
SILAS WHIPPLE - PRIVATE
On a scorching summer morning Eliphalet Hopper steps off the great steamboat Louisiana and onto the banks of the Mississippi, his eyes taking in the bustling, smoky haze of St. Louis. The narrative follows his outsider’s perspective—a Massachusetts boy thrust into a world of river trade, black cattle, and the uneasy hierarchy of cotton and slaves. As he watches a young mulatto woman and her infant, and feels the roughness of an overseer’s cruelty, a seed of ambition and moral unease begins to sprout.
Through vivid descriptions of cramped decks, noisy passengers, and the towering presence of a youthful captain, the story paints the contradictions of a nation expanding westward. Hopper’s yearning to own property clashes with the unsettling scenes of human suffering he witnesses, hinting at larger forces that will test his values. The opening sets a tone of restless energy, promising a journey that will explore personal desire against the backdrop of a country on the brink of conflict.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (107K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-10-19
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1871–1947
A hugely popular American novelist in the early 1900s, he wrote historical fiction and political novels that spoke to the mood of Progressive Era readers. Though often overshadowed by the better-known British statesman of the same name, his books were major bestsellers in their day.
View all books
by Winston Churchill

by Winston Churchill

by Winston Churchill

by Winston Churchill

by Winston Churchill

by Winston Churchill

by Winston Churchill

by Winston Churchill