The author of sixteen consecutive New York Times bestsellers, called by the Los Angeles Times "the godfather of the historical novel," now brings to life an almost-forgotten moment in the Civil War.

Georgia, 1864: Sherman's army marches inexorably from Atlanta to the sea. In its path, the charming old city of Savannah, where the Lester ladies--attractive widowed Sara and her feisty twelve-year-old daughter Hattie-struggle to save the family rice plantation. When Sherman offers the conquered city to President Lincoln as "a Christmas gift," Hattie and the feared general find themselves on a collision course that will astonish both of them.

In this rousing new tale, John Jakes tells a story of battlefield danger, wartime romance, and indomitable courage. The rich cast of characters includes a corrupt judge who positively exudes Dickensian wickedness, a fast-talking piano-playing reporter from New York, a pair of thwarted young lovers, a raffish Indiana cavalryman, a valiant former slave who practices bird calls with surprising results, and a whole bagful of rascals, rebels, and real soldiers who marched with Sherman.

Together they bring to life a season of simmering hostilities, rising hopes, and empty stockings-perhaps the most strife-torn yet heartwarming Christmas in all of American history.