title: The General & The Lady
author: Hickey, J. Paul
description: Major General John Fulton Reynolds was destined to become one of the most famous officers of America's Civil War. He was greatly admired and respected by the men he commanded and by the men who commanded him. President Abraham Lincoln even wanted Reynolds to lead his vast Army of the Potomac. Fate, however, had different plans for the general. He was shot and killed on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, taking with him a secret so deep, not even his close family members knew about it. The secret was discovered only when his body was being prepared for burial. Mysterious objects were found hanging from small chains around his neck. It turns out General Reynolds, who was stern, aloof, and highly principled, had a hidden love affair with a woman much younger than him. Why they had kept their love so private is embroiled with the intrigue of an era driven by war and prejudice so intense, it split the country apart. Their story of true love found and tragically lost is the story of a nation trying to find purpose and meaning among unbridled hatred and bigotry.