The Black Flower is the gripping story of a young Confederate rifleman from Mississippi named Bushrod Carter, who serves in General John Bell Hood's Army of Tennessee during the Civil War battle that takes place in Franklin, Tennessee, in November 1864. Written with reverent attention to historical accuracy, the book vividly documents the fear, suffering, and intense friendships that are all present on the eve of the battle and during its aftermath. When Bushrod is wounded in the Confederate charge, he is taken to a makeshift hospital where he comes under the care of Anna, who has already lost two potential romances to battle. Bushrod and Anna's poignant attempt to forge a bond of common humanity in the midst of the pathos and horror of battle serves as a powerful reminder that the war that divided America will not vanish quietly into the page of history. "I recommend it highly."--Shelby Foote, author of The Civil War Trilogy "Writing with eloquence and humanity, Howard Bahr casts a tale of war as powerful as any you'll ever find."-- Southern Lights "I finished it in one long draught, thinking as I read of Crane, Hemingway, Mailer, and Faulkner . . . but realizing at the end that it was altogether original."--Ernest B. Furgurson, author of Ashes of Glory: Richmond at War Howard Bahr was born in Meridian, Mississippi. From 1982 to 1993 he was curator of Rowan Oak, the William Faulkner homestead and museum in Oxford, Mississippi. Since 1993 he has taught English at Motlow State Community College in Tullahoma, Tennessee. His new novel is The Year of the Jublio (Henry Holt).