The Haystack: A Novel

It began in Philadelphia and might have ended there had it not been for the curiosity aroused by a remarkable dead horse (so unusual a horse that Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote about it and Alexander Gardner stopped to photograph it). That, in turn, led to the discovery of a dead man, which, under the circumstances, ought to have been utterly unremarkable. Especially on September 19, 1862, two days after the bloodiest single day’s fighting in American history. In the fields and woods lay more than 20,000 dead and wounded. At first neither army had left the field, no territory changed hands but, like two wounded animals, the armies lay panting, unable to fight and yet unwilling to disengage. By the dawn of September 19, Lee had slipped away and saved his army. But among all the bodies, this one is different, according to Doctor James V. Dougherty, assistant surgeon of the 69th Pennsylvania. He convinces Medical Steward Sean McBrien, but will anyone else believe him? After all, Dougherty is 20 years old, fresh out of medical school and has been in the Army of the Potomac a mere two weeks. Yet he has one advantage. In his two years at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, he worked with
Doctor Carl Gustavus Brownson, professor of anatomy and a leading expert in forensic medicine. Brownson drummed into him an appreciation of detail and a sense of responsibility for seeking justice for those who could no longer do so for themselves. His desire to learn the truth soon develops into a further concern. Over the opposition of his superior officer, Dougherty forges ahead, each step plunging him more deeply into a plot that draws the unwelcome attentions of
Allan Pinkerton, General McClellan’s chief spy. Dougherty’s expertise in forensics and McBrien’s years of experience in dealing with the army leads them to a solution, but not until Dougherty is literally within an inch of losing his own life. The mystery would challenge modern crime scene investigation procedures, but Dougherty finds the answer within the limits of techniques available in the nineteenth century. Fact and fiction are woven seamlessly together, ensuring that both Civil War buffs and mystery fans alike will be delighted with the outcome.