‘Rebel Train’ a classic Civil War adventure story

Natalie Elder
Times-News Intern

December 15, 2006 10:20 am

— CUMBERLAND — For Confederate forces, the winter of 1862 was the final opportunity to set the fate of the Civil War. In the attempt to destabilize the Union Army, the Confederate Secret Service conspired to capture and possibly kill President Lincoln.
David Healey’s “Rebel Train” is a classic Civil War adventure story that portrays the Confederate Army’s quest to seize Lincoln and, ultimately, Union forces in Gettysburg. According to best-selling author Jack D. Hunter, “Civil War buffs looking for something different will find ample reward in this complex, offbeat novel of deadly intrigue and hot pursuit.”
Healey’s character in “Rebel Train,” Col. Arthur Percy, leads a group of Confederate cavalrymen to overpower the train carrying Lincoln to Gettysburg and to bring it to Richmond. By doing so, the fate of the Civil War will be in the hands of Confederate forces. Should Percy’s attempt fail, his orders are to kill Lincoln.
Furthermore, aboard Lincoln’s locomotive is a fortune in Union payroll, which is the target of a merciless Baltimore belle and a resilient, irrational gambler. To add to the situation, the original crew of the seized train finds another locomotive.
Aboard the additional train, the crew chases Percy and his men. Based on a true story, “Rebel Train” is a “steam-driven race through the farmlands and mountains of Maryland and Virginia” that “not only determines the fate of Lincoln and the raiders, but also the future of the Union and Confederacy.”
As a successful author, Healey considers himself “an organic writer” in that he discovers the book as he writes it. To Healey, writing novels is the combination between two important components — daydreaming and outlining. He said, “The worst thing you can do, I think, is to actually go looking for an idea. The best ones turn up all on their own, usually just as a single, well-imagined scene.”
In the case of “Rebel Train,” Healey’s personal interests sparked his idea. “I think the Civil War is such a fascinating time, and what I’ve tried to do is use the time as a setting for thrillers in the same way that so many other authors have used World War II or the Cold War. There’s always been some mystery and legend behind the Gettysburg Address, so that seemed like a good starting point.”
Since becoming an author, Healey has published a number of articles on Civil War history, including works in American History magazine, The Washington Times, and Blue & Gray magazine. In addition to “Rebel Train,” Healey wrote the war stories “Sharpshooter” and “1812: Rediscovering the Chesapeake Bay’s Forgotten War.”
Healey also serves as the managing editor of the Whig, a 15,000-circulation daily publication in Cecil County and he resides in Maryland with his wife and two children.
“Rebel Train” is a Harbor House publication.