The Colonel's Wife

About this issue

This 1896 Flag Series publication from Street & Smith features "The Colonel's Wife" by Warren Edwards, a Civil War narrative following John Emmett, a Union soldier who returns to his Georgia home near Atlanta under Sherman's advance. Caught breaking into his family mansion to retrieve hidden papers from the hearth, Emmett is apprehended by Confederate forces and taken to Lyndhurst plantation, where Squire Granger interrogates him. Facing execution as a suspected spy, Emmett must navigate capture behind Confederate lines while concealing both his true identity and mission. The text combines romantic melodrama with military adventure, set against historical battle sequences from the Atlanta campaign. The volume also advertisements Bertha M. Clay's popular domestic novels (A Woman's Temptation, The Duke's Secret, Fair but Faithless) and lists other Flag Series titles including "The Yankee Champion" by Sylvanus Cobb, Jr. and "A Soldier Lover" by Edward S. Brooks, all emphasizing patriotism and martial valor.