Only a few in wartime Washington knew that Monty Tolliver had the president’s ear. A former member of Congress with a hidden past, Monty had not asked to be Abraham Lincoln’s confidante, but he was.

Over crucial months during the second half of 1862—when Lincoln first contemplated and slowly moved toward what became the Emancipation Proclamation, during General Robert E. Lee’s invasion of Maryland, during the Battle of Antietam, and during a time when Lincoln’s frustration with General George McClellan reached a boiling point—Monty was at the president’s side. His advice was sought, and provided.

When a personal secret of Monty’s is at risk of being exposed, he finds his relationship with Lincoln in jeopardy. Will he do the right thing?

And Slavery No More examines pivotal moments of the Civil War by weaving Monty Tolliver and three other fictional characters—a newspaper reporter, a Confederate officer, and a Union soldier—into real events, and through their interaction with historical figures. Not only are America’s bloodiest day at Antietam and changes in the war’s goals explored, but also the fact that, as much as we may hope to, it is difficult to escape our past.