Book excerpt: The South was desperate in May of 1864. The forces against them had their eyes on Richmond, its government, and its manufacturing capability, especially its armories. The small town of Tallassee, Alabama, far from action and safely sited on the banks of the Tallapoosa River, was selected to craft the new cavalry carbine Richmond could not. In the closing week of the war, the estimated five hundred carbines produced were ordered shipped to Macon. They left Tallassee and disappeared from history, never to resurface. Only ten are known to exist today. Larry Williamson's premise for their loss is both unique and believable, even as it may be fanciful speculation. His characters are enjoyable, noble, and sweet, especially the young confederate soldier and his aspiring Juliet, the daughter of Benjamin Micou, the historical president of the Tallassee mill company.