Bitter’s Run Is a Post Civil War Historical Novel by Rod Collins
Following Lee’s surrender of the Northern Army of Virginia to Grant on April 9, 1865 at Appomattox, Captain John Bitter of Abiqua Creek, Oregon musters out of the 40th Missouri. A loner, Bitter plans a quick ride home over the Oregon Trail. The Good Lord, however, has other plans for him.
After a month on the Trail, two gun battles, a bruising fistfight to settle a blood feud, a new wife, and two adopted sons, Bitter tells Rockford, his big, mean, black horse, “This sure complicates the business of getting back to Oregon.” Bitter now finds himself the leader of a mixed entourage going west: a black pioneer family earlier wagon trains shunned; an Irish rebel turned galvanized Yankee; a dispossessed Cherokee turned Cheyenne medicine man; the rescued sister of a Bannock chief; a white boy adopted by the Cheyenne; and a scout for the Union Army who is also one of the richest men in Oregon.
Bitter’s Run is a spirited and adventurous tale. Told in three parts, it portrays the realities and uncertainties of life on the Oregon Trail, of the war-weary men seeking or returning to a homestead in Oregon, and of the courageous women who rode with them.
Reviews for Bitter’s Run
I found this novel to be spellbinding. It was almost impossible to put down. It was written much in the style of the Locke and Parker Western novels. I hope Mr. Collins continues writing novels of this nature and I am looking forward to future books he may write.
This is an entertaining adventure yarn about real people facing and overcoming old-west hardships headed for home after the Civil War. Many of the troubles they face are as timely today as they were in the 1800s. The characters’ plain talk and dry humor are reminiscent of Mark Twain tails. A good read for the end of summer.
I am savoring this book. I have not finished it yet but am very impressed with the historical information given in the storyline. I appreciate the short chapters so I don’t spend all day reading and neglecting other household chores. I love the array of characters that have been introduced ( and some discarded ) by Rod. I look forward to reading the next few chapters as I can. Great storyteller and superb factual descriptions.
I’ve long been a fan of Rod Collins’ Sheriff Bud Blair contemporary thriller series. I will admit I was bit leery of his departure into Historical Western. I was wrong. This book is a fascinating combination of history and adventure that should appeal to anyone with an interest in how the West was really settled and who really settled it.
John Bitter has just been released from the Union Army after Lee’s surrender. He heads out solo for his home on the Oregon Trail. Before the end in Oregon, he manages to acquire a wife, several children and a coterie of diverse fellow travelers – each with their own story and each embroiling Bitter in an adventure with historical underpinnings. A job offer to become a Pinkerton Agent in Oregon leaves the door open to further Old West adventures and makes me hope that this is just the beginning of another series.