First Brothers: A Civil War Novel

"First Brothers" is a tale of heroism and honor in tumultuous times. The story begins in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. Alec Johnson, a Minnesota bank clerk of European descent and Joe Braun, son of a German father and a Native American (Dakota) mother, are members of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. There, they forge a friendship that will last their wholes lives. Following the bitter disappointment at Bull Run, they embark on a daring foray where an unforeseen mishap results in Joe's return to Minnesota where he fights in the 1862 Dakota War while Alec fights at bloody Antietam. After the war, Alec struggles as so many Civil War veterans did, but his salvation comes through Joe in the form of an ancient Dakota ritual. It is an epic saga that spans more than forty years in two men's lives, and through their story, reveals the growth of a nation.