John W. DeForest

John William DeForest was an American soldier and writer of realistic fiction. He is best known for his Civil War novel 'Miss Ravenel's Conversion from Secession to Loyalty' (1867), which is considered one of the first realistic war novels in American literature.

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. Miss Ravenel's Conversion From Secession To Loyalty

    The novel follows the journey of Lillie Ravenel, a young Southern woman who moves from the secessionist South to the Union North during the American Civil War. As she experiences the realities of war and comes into contact with various characters, including Northern soldiers and other supporters of the Union, her initial Confederate sympathies are challenged and transformed. The narrative intertwines her personal evolution with a romantic subplot and broader themes of loyalty, cultural conflict, and the moral complexities of the war, ultimately portraying her conversion to support the Union cause.

    The 17008th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Amazon