Deep in the Ozark Mountains, Current River flows clear and cold. It meets Jacks Fork in angry crosscurrents that scour an untamed channel. Dangerous and unpredictable are its waters and banks -- but never more so than in the summer of 1862. It is Civil War, and the Chilton family finds out exactly what gumption means. In the middle of the country, on the dividing edge of Northern and Southern sentiments, lines are drawn and the world they know explodes. Peace and devastation collide. Alexander Chilton has a Yankee sight trained on his head and hatred burns in his heart. The lone survivor of a Federal ambush, he joins Coleman's Regiment as a first lieutenant, but circumstances lead him to take the Confederate cause into his own hands. As a bushwhacker, he moves of his own accord and agenda. His once gallant reputation gains no favor when rumors of murder and thievery swirl. The war tightens. Brothers, cousins, and uncles continue to fall on their own land. Alexander stands in the torrent, torn between the blue eyes of Elizabeth Davis and the rough gray of his personal rebel revenge. Based on Memoirs of John J. Chilton and official records. Be captured by the wild beauty of Ozark National Scenic Riverways, today's caretaker of the farms of our ancestors. To more than a million visitors annually to the region, "Welcome to Shannon County -- stay a day or a lifetime." - Dan & Suzanne Chilton A Missouri family with rebel sympathies faces excruciating hardship during the Civil War in this debut historical novel. In the Ozark region of Missouri, the Chiltons are a large family, known for the beauty of its women and the handsomeness and charisma of its men. Cousins Alexander and Lizzie share a special bond, and when the extended family gets together, there’s joyous music, dancing and the occasional good-natured brawl. When the Civil War breaks out, the family finds itself aligned with the Rebel cause, more as a means of protecting Missouri from marauding federal troops than out of any strong feelings about slavery or secession. Alexander and his two brothers quickly enlist, see combat, and return to their homes at the end of their three-month enlistment. But the war follows them home: their father and other family members became prisoners of war while they were away, and Union troops are raiding local farms for food. Alexander becomes a feared guerrilla fighter as he does everything he can to help the Rebel cause, his family and his beloved Lizzie. The novel is clearly a labor of love, tracing the authors’ own family members through the Civil War and its aftermath. The level of genealogical and historical research is stunning; the novel is full of period details that capture the feel of the era and help draw readers into the narrative. The often lovely prose is sometimes light on detail, which makes some passages hard to follow, as does the profusion of cousins, aunts and uncles, including many with similar names. All in all, however, this is a compelling, highly readable account of life in a border state during the turbulent Civil War years. This book also includes an extended bibliography, a family tree and historical photos of some major characters. A well-researched Civil War novel based on true events. – Kirkus Reviews Danny Lee and Suzanne Rayfield Chilton spent their childhood in Shannon County Missouri and returned in 2004 upon retirement from careers in civil engineering and information systems. With their sons, Mark and Stephen, they resided in Illinois, Tennessee, and Missouri. "Blue and Gray Cross Current" is their first novel. In 1818, their ancestors were among the first to homestead in the Ozark Mountains, a forested land of spring-fed clear waters frequented earlier by Native Americans such as Shawnee, Delaware, and Osage. Ozark National Scenic Riverways spans the former river-bottom farms along Jacks Fork and Current River. Abundant in natural beauty and wildlife, more than a million tourists visit the area each year. Visit www.blueandgraycrosscurrent.com for photographs of people and places, genealogy, and cultural heritage studies as our research continues.