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In his second fast-paced historical novel, author Jon Bebbington weaves the jaw-dropping story of a coastal artillery fortification built on a remote sea island of South Carolina that never expects to see battle-but does. On February 11, 1898, the construction of a nameless artillery fortification begins on a remote sea island of South Carolina to protect the Parris Island naval base. Then, four days later, the USS Maine mysteriously explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor killing over 260 sailors and marines. Many players revolve in and out of the story, including local Gullah descendant merchant Jim Sumter and his family, US Army Captain Hawthorne, US Army Lieutenant Robert Fleming, and various soldiers posted to the island.
Never expecting to see battle, the soldiers and locals live in relative ease, going about their normal lives. Then, several months later in 1898, the Spanish Navy enters Port Royal Sound in a daring raid to turn the tide of the Spanish-American War. After the conflict ends in a bittersweet victory for America, another battle looms; one of nuanced elements. Romance, tragedy, isolation, boredom, sin, violence, and courts martial abound in the days, weeks, and months after the siege-illustrating the very real tragedy and injustices experienced by the soldiers and the local Gullah descendants living near the fort.
Best suited for adult readers, The Battle of Fort Scarlet will appeal to those who commonly enjoy war and military historical fiction, like From Here to Eternity (James Jones) and The Sand Pebbles (Richard McKenna). But there is also enough romance in the story to satisfy readers of that genre.
