From the Ashes of Ruin

Glorifying the spirit of Confederate women, this earnest but uneven debut by septuagenarian academician Rawl is notable for its well-researched depiction of plantation life and hardship during the last months of the Civil War, as well as an authentic account of the shameful atrocities committed during General William Tecumseh Sherman's sacking and torching of Columbia, S.C., on February 17, 1865. Ten days before that infamous catastrophe, Yankee major John Arledge comes to Oak Lane Plantation investigating the disappearance of three soldiers who had been dispatched as foragers for the Union Army. Ellen Heyward, the elder of two daughters of a Confederate physician, lies to Arledge (to protect the honor of her sister, Pamela, who was raped by the foragers) telling him that the men were burning the Oak Lane stable but were chased away by a quartet of Rebel troopers. A few days later, Arledge returns, suspicious of Ellen's story but nonetheless confessing his attraction to her, and his intention to marry her after the war. With Sherman's army approaching, the women, disastrously, go to Columbia seeking safety with their aunt. On the eve of Sherman's arrival, Arledge finds Ellen, sweeps her into his arms and reaffirms his vow to return and possess her. Overnight, the city is reduced to rubble and the women return to Oak Lane. With a wounded young Rebel trooper, the women reestablish the vigor of the plantation and Pamela's trust in men is restored. Predictably, from the ashes of war, romance takes full flower, but readers hoping for fiery passion will be disappointed by the treacly love scenes. In addition, flat dialogue and phlegmatic pacing detract from the novel's vividly detailed historical setting. (Mar.)