An historical, romantic and musical tale,
Shiloh Plain is woven around true events that took place in both Uniontown and Gettysburg, PA. during the American Civil War years of 1860-1865. Narrated from local store owner and concert pianist Crispian Mahler’s journal, it is a story of love, infused with the popular music and lyrics of the time.
The tale tells of the lives, the loves and the music – plus the rather naive, good-natured, trouble-making – of a fifteen-year-old dreamer by the name of Carol ‘Corrie’ Vaughn, who sings and dances delightfully to music played from the sheet music of the times. Corrie is aided and abetted by her new best friend Virginia ‘Jennie’ Wade, aged 18, a dress-designer and seamstress. Their effervescent personalities bring their increasingly fragmented community together at the youngsters’ regular Saturday Shindigs, at which the two girls form a duo and perform their favourite songs.
This tale was conceived as a means of creating and expressively linking a wonderful collection of unique songs from the 1860’s, all of which had been written by quality composers and have been brought into the modern day by the author.
Each beautifully crafted song was composed by the people as they lived their lives through the war. Their lyrics establish a direct link to the conflict and inform the story of Carrie and Jennie with absolute integrity. Their words are testament to the momentous events that unfolded on Shiloh Plain.
