Francis Hamit' s Alternative History Featuring The Queen of Washington Creatively "Possible"

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"My career died right there," Robert's bitter voice
brought her back to her present difficulty. And so
did your ambitions. Greed, Rose. Greed was your
undoing...and mine...
"She flinched. Never had he spoken to her so
harshly, but never had she given him such cause.
She had betrayed their marriage by allowing a
flirtation to go too far. It was her fault, but not
entirely. She could not let the accusation pass
unchallenged. That wasn't fair..."

The Queen of Washington


 By Francis Hamit




I had thoroughly enjoyed The Shenandoah Spy telling the story of  the first woman in American history to be formally commissioned an Army officer. While Hamit's series focuses on the Civil War era, his decision to move backward and create an alternative history for some of the key players during the war is a delightful fun read (while being historically informative).


Mainly because today's political environment includes spotlighting the sexual activities of those working in government that often becomes world-wide news...


While Hamit hypothesizes that sex was routinely used by women, in particular, during that time to gain vital information, especially for the South, or for gaining personal power or positions for their husbands, And the most famous Rose Greenhow became the one they crowned as Queen. She started by becoming an active participant of the social set that centered in Washington D.C. and was wife of the Translator and Librarian for the U.S. State Department where he ranked third to the Secretary. But while his position lowered as he got into activities of the Land Commission, traveling west into Mexico and California, Rose spent most of her time in Washington garnering more and more political influence.


But she went too far and had a child to one of her lovers and brought her into their home...she had broken trust with her husband, Robert!

She was definitely a spy for the South. But Hamit posed the question was she a spy earlier for the French, the English and many others--perhaps anybody who would willingly share "pillow-talk" which included gifts and financial support to keep her in the home she needed and hosting the many events that were necessary to keeping her image in front of the Washington set...

Robert became friends with Judah
Benjamin, later to become a
Senator...
"He and Robert drank in silence for
several minutes, and then Judah said
sympathetically, "Your wife, eh?
That's grounds for a suit at law."
"That would mean scandal, and the
Greenhows are very political.
It's the family business, you see.
We don't do scandal..."
"Revenge is a dish best tasted cold"
http://commons.wikimedia.org/
wiki/File:Judah_Benjamin.jpg

There were also several truly treasonous or criminal actions that she had convinced her husband should be done. However, when her affair resulted in a child, it affected their relationship in both personal and political ways.


Going back to 1850 to begin this story, Francis Hamit has pulled in significant issues that could indeed have been part of or even important background reasons for the Civil War. The author has obviously researched the time period and has effectively merged true historical events together with a viable and entertaining alternative story surrounding both of the Greenhows but especially Rose. You might want to check out the picture on my earlier announcement which shows her and her daughter being held in prison prior to finally being sent back into the territory controlled by the South. 


I thoroughly enjoyed Hamit's second novel--a much more personal and intimate look into the life of the "female" spies active during the time of the Civil War. Somehow it seemed "permissible" at that time, while today's scandals just seem...sordid...What do you think?  History buffs, I think, will enjoy as much as I did...Maybe a must-read? You decide!

Related articles

• Francis Hamit, Author of The Shenandoah Spy, Publishes Second in Confederate Secret Service Series! (gabixlerreviews-bookreadersheaven.blogspot.com)

Francis Hamit served in American Military Intelligence during the Vietnam War and then attended the Iowa Writers Workshop. He later wrote articles about spies and intelligence organizations for the Encyclopedia Britannica as part of the team that revised the venerable reference work in the 1980s. He has written and published hundreds of magazine articles and a non-fiction book about Virtual Reality as well as plays for stage and screen and several works of fiction. He is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, The National Military Intelligence Association, The Military Writers Society of America, The Historical Novel Society and The Shakespeare Society of America, where he serves on the Board of Directors.

Book Received 
From Author




GABixlerReviews

Francis Hamit, Author of The Shenandoah Spy, Publishes Second in Confederate Secret Service Series!

The Queen of Washington


By Francis Hamit






I never enjoyed history in school; however, I have found that learning more about early America, and, especially, about the women involved, has been a wonderfully refreshing experience. Hamit's first book, The Shenandoah Spy (Check out my review!) shared a little known story of Belle Boyd, a Confederate Army spy and scout...

His second novel is an alternative history story leading up to the Civil War! I'll be reading soon and providing my review, but here's some preliminary information:

From Brass Cannon Books
Pine Mountain Club
Frazier Park, CA
Brass Cannon Books.net

Brass Cannon Books Announces the Release of the Second Book in Francis Hamit's Confederate Secret Service Mega-Narrative

Socialite and political operative Rose Greenhow, a "proud Southern woman" was "The Queen of Washington" during the years immediately before the Civil War. As the country split apart, she used her connections to create a very effective spy ring that developed the intelligence that allowed the South to prevail at the first battle of Manassas (or Bull's Run).

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Greenhow.gif

The widow of a State Department official and the protege of such power players as John Calhoun and Colley Madison, Rose used her romantic relations with Union government officials to gather information for the South, until her arrest by Allan Pinkerton on August 23, 1861. She was then held under very adverse conditions in her own house and then in the Old Capitol prison until being sent South ten months later. Her ordeal was shared by her eight-year-old daughter.

Hamit's book is an alternative "what-if" history that asks when her spying career actually began. "There are indicators that she may have already been a spy and agent of influence for the French and British legations for years before, perhaps even before the Mexican War," Hamit said. "She was certainly involved in some shady attempts to bring Cuba into the United States as a Slave state through one or more 'filibustering' expeditions, and she was also involved in the Limantour land claims in California, testifying in support of them. These were finally dismissed by the Federal District Court as 'the most audacious fraud in history.'" Her husband's last job was as an Associate Law Counsel for the California Land Commission, and the record seems to indicate that he opposed these claims before he died under mysterious circumstances in San Francisco in 1854.

"This gave me an opportunity to look at the run-up to the Civil War and the geo-political game that was being played out between the forces of Manifest Destiny and the French and the British efforts to divide the Unites States and keep it from becoming a Great Power. This part of the conflict is usually overlooked now, but by starting this novel in 1850 and looking at possible alternative explanations, we can not just provide an entertaining novel but provoke some thoughtful discussions."

Hamit's first novel in this narrative is "The Shenandoah Spy" which examined the early career of Confederate Army spy and scout Belle Boyd, the first woman in American History to be commissioned an army officer. It was published in 2008 to widespread favorable reviews and is still in print.

Related articles

• Heroes of The Civil War: Belle Boyd (socyberty.com)