What was it like living in a small sleepy Southern town when the war suddenly arrived on the doorstep 150 years ago? Th ese are the stories of residents from various walks of life, and the struggles they face as the Union's Peninsula Campaign deploys forces to Fort Monroe, engages just east of Williamsburg, then continues, 'On to Richmond ' as their battle cry went. For example,

-William & Mary students, like Th omas Barlow, face life-changing decisions: to return home, or enlist with his classmates? Some of them would become heroes, but many more casualties.

-Slaves, like W.B. Nelson, must decide as well: should he remain with his master or runaway? While some remain, many become 'contrabands, ' and later freedmen, and 'colored troops.'

-Politicians, like Benjamin Butler of Boston, are given the rank of Major General despite the lack of any military experience, while General George B. McClellan, who despised President Lincoln and Washington politics, later runs for national offi ce. Neither transformation is particularly successful."

-Williamsburg residents, like shopkeeper William W. Vest and family must decide between fl eeing as refugees, or staying, like William Peachy, lawyer, to endure Federal occupation.

-Williamsburg's women, like Letitia Tyler Semple, lead efforts to improve soldier medical care, opening their homes to thousands of wounded. Others, like Mary Payne, persevere to be at her husband's bedside, while Miss Margaret Durfey falls in love with her patient.

What was it like living in a small sleepy Southern town when the war suddenly arrived on the doorstep 150 years ago? Th ese are the stories of residents from various walks of life, and the struggles they face as the Union's Peninsula Campaign deploys forces to Fort Monroe, engages just east of Williamsburg, then continues, 'On to Richmond ' as their battle cry went. For example,

-William & Mary students, like Th omas Barlow, face life-changing decisions: to return home, or enlist with his classmates? Some of them would become heroes, but many more casualties.

-Slaves, like W.B. Nelson, must decide as well: should he remain with his master or runaway? While some remain, many become 'contrabands, ' and later freedmen, and 'colored troops.'

-Politicians, like Benjamin Butler of Boston, are given the rank of Major General despite the lack of any military experience, while General George B. McClellan, who despised President Lincoln and Washington politics, later runs for national offi ce. Neither transformation is particularly successful."

-Williamsburg residents, like shopkeeper William W. Vest and family must decide between fl eeing as refugees, or staying, like William Peachy, lawyer, to endure Federal occupation.

-Williamsburg's women, like Letitia Tyler Semple, lead efforts to improve soldier medical care, opening their homes to thousands of wounded. Others, like Mary Payne, persevere to be at her husband's bedside, while Miss Margaret Durfey falls in love with her patient.

Based on an actual event --the inadvertent shipping of pathogenic H2N2 strains world-wide, this thriller is the suspenseful tale of missing samples falling into the wrong hands. Despite her best efforts, heroine, SGT Maria Alvarez, USMC, is thwarted by all too common government bungling that dooms her mission impossible. Once Pandora's box has been opened, can the pathogens ever be returned?  Despite the concerted efforts of the military, international police, and medical experts, the risk of pandemic surprisingly comes from a most unexpected source