Mickey Dunaway pens Civil War novel after retirement

Cornelius author explores the challenges of a Civil War surgeon The Love of a Land with a Storied Past

It was Ken Burns’ “The Civil War” documentary that sparked Mickey Dunaway to write his historical fiction novel, Angry Heavens – Struggles of a Confederate Surgeon. “It was an inspiration to me,” says Dunaway, who lives in Cornelius with his wife, Sandy. “Shelby Foote, one of my literary heroes who was consulted for the documentary, is the pre-eminent researcher on the Civil War. I would regularly refer to his three-volume treatise.”

Born and raised in Alabama with an upbringing “filled with Baptist preaching, family fish-fries and fall Saturday afternoons spent rabbit hunting,” Dunaway dedicated nearly 50 years to education. He began teaching in 1969, earned a doctorate in educational leadership (Ed.D.) from Auburn University, served in various administrative roles, and most recently was associate professor at University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Coauthor of a textbook, the 725- page “Angry Heavens” is Dunaway’s foray into historical fiction—as well as novel writing. For three years, he researched and wrote this captivating BY » Karel Bond Lucander PHOTOGRAPHY BY » Ken Noblezada

account that centers around letters exchanged between a Charleston surgeon (Dr. James Merriweather) and his wife through diary entries, recounting his horrific work at field hospitals and her challenges back home. A stickler for detail, Dunaway’s saga includes data and events culled from 3,000-plus hours of research. He self-published Angry Heavens through Archway, a division of Simon & Schuster. “They offered a range of packages, and the experience was positive,” he says. Along with a surgeon’s perspective of the Civil War, his book has a poignant message about Southerners. “It’s about the conundrum that most Southerners face today: How can you love a land with slavery as its background? That

was what I wanted to get across: How a person could do that,” he says. “James Merriweather was opposed to slavery but still fought for his land because he loved his land so much.” As Dunaway writes, “The wounds of slavery were intentionally inflicted by a people who were from the South but not Southern. They were selfish, belligerent, loud, angry, and worst of all, inhuman. … The heart of the South is not embodied in the economics of slavery, not in the Confederate Battle Flag … Nor is it in the refrain of “Dixie,” written by an Ohioan for Northern minstrel shows. It was and is found in its people, who are kind and gentle, distinct and diverse, proud but not vain, God-fearing and honest, and good and generous to a fault.”

Angry Heavens is available at Main Street Books in Davidson, Barnes & Noble, Archway Publishing and Amazon.

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