Soldier for the Union

by William W. Campbell

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Pub Date Jul 07 2026 | Archive Date Jul 07 2026

General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction

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Description

As Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee lock horns across the Virginia countryside in the spring of 1864, Lyons and Cormac O'Connor enlist in the Union Army, concealing a dangerous secret.

When a battle wound lands Lyons in a field hospital, Major Jonathan Hart, a weary regimental surgeon, and his nurse, Sarah, discover the truth: Lyons is a woman.

Affection grows between the surgeon and the nurse as they struggle to keep Lyons out of the clutches of Grant's rapacious war machine. Their story comes to a devastating climax amid the carnage of Cold Harbor.

Drawing on hidden history and the overlooked role of women who fought, Soldier for the Union weaves together themes of trauma, healing, and the fragile bonds that sustain us in our darkest hours.

Rich in historical detail while vividly rendering the realities of Civil War medicine, Soldier for the Union honors the courage of those who chose to heal rather than destroy and offers an unconventional perspective on the conflict.

As Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee lock horns across the Virginia countryside in the spring of 1864, Lyons and Cormac O'Connor enlist in the Union Army, concealing a dangerous secret.

When a battle...

A Note From the Publisher

William W. Campbell is a neurologist, writer, artist, philanthropist, and retired US Army colonel whose creative writing career began with short stories about memorable patients encountered over nearly fifty years of medical practice. One of these won first place in the 2022 F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Festival Adult Short Story Contest. Other award-winning stories have appeared in The Sherwood Forest Art and Literary Review, As You Were: The Military Review, Ink In Thirds, Five Minutes, and the Glint Literary Journal. He holds a certificate in creative writing from Simon Fraser University. He has also published extensively in the scientific literature, including five medical textbooks, one of which won an award from the American Medical Writers Association. He is a past winner of the American Association of Neuromuscular and Electrodiagnostic Medicine's Distinguished Physician Award and was named to Best Doctors in America for many years running.

William W. Campbell is a neurologist, writer, artist, philanthropist, and retired US Army colonel whose creative writing career began with short stories about memorable patients encountered over...

Advance Praise

"Gripping from the first page, Soldier for the Union provides a haunting, evocative glimpse into the hidden history of women who fought in the Civil War. Magnificently researched, rich in atmosphere and emotion-on par with Cold Mountain."-Victoria Heland, author of Mayfair Wager

"Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, Soldier for the Union is an engaging read that is as emotionally powerful as it is historically compelling. The rich cast of characters will move you, provoke you, and stay with you long after the final page." -Stella Leventoyannis Harvey, author of Finding Callidora

"A fascinating story that follows a Union army regimental hospital through General Grant's grinding Overland Campaign in 1864. Expertly researched, the logistics, surgical methods, and accepted medical treatments of the time make the chaotic world of Campbell's characters all the more convincing as they test their loyalties and growing bonds in the face of the unexpected."-Greg Michalson, publisher of Unbridled Books, former fiction editor at The Missouri Review

Available Editions

EDITION	Paperback
ISBN	9798897471614
PRICE	$21.95 (USD)
PAGES	380

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