LOUISVILLE, Ky., June 14, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Kentucky citizens arrested and taken from their homes in the middle of the night, and then thrown in prisons hundreds of miles away -- all without due process or opportunity for appeal. Kentucky citizens' property seized, and businesses shut down without opportunity for defense. A new book being released by Chicago Spectrum Press in July highlights such events -- not as fiction, but as history. The book describes one man's reaction to these events -- a decision to fight against the Union and the President who sanctioned such human rights violations. Simon Bolivar Buckner, future Governor of Kentucky and future candidate for Vice President of the United States, decided he could not support a Union that supported such actions and could not support a president, Abraham Lincoln, who sanctioned such despotism. He decided to fight for the Confederacy -- a decision that led local Kentucky newspapers to label him the "Second Benedict Arnold". The book, entitled Simon Bolivar Buckner: Beyond The Southern Storm, describes Buckner's visit with Lincoln, noting that Lincoln lied to Buckner. This lie led Buckner to make his difficult decision to wear the grey uniform.
Believing Kentuckians deserve the opportunity to challenge their historical stereotypes and reexamine impressions on local history, author Stephen Russell decided to write this book that honors a man who chose what most today believe to be "wrong side". Written as historical fiction, this book follows the historical records on Buckner very closely. Russell noted that, "We tend to believe that the only heroes and honorable men during the Civil War wore Union uniforms. We want to think all Confederates were evil men who supported slavery. That, in fact, is not true. Simon Bolivar Buckner was a man of principle and honor -- who opposed slavery, but decided to support the Confederacy because he rejected the violations of rights sanctioned by Lincoln."
The author believes this book is very timely, stating that, "In this time of war, we are all finding that simple generalizations about who is good and who is evil are dangerous. We support a cause, but have concerns about the means used to accomplish that cause. The same was true during the Civil War. While Buckner supported the Union, he could not support Lincoln's suspension of basic rights for his fellow Kentucky citizens. He had to oppose such violations."
Chicago Spectrum Press states that the book will be available through bookstores in July. The book is the latest project from the High Ground Research Consulting Group.