The Fire which utterly consumed the town of Darien on the fateful day in June 1863 was a tangible expression of the uncontrolled hatred which enveloped the entire nation. The Fire sparked a responsive hatred that burned in the hearts of the people of Darien long after the ashes of their town had grown cold.
This is the story of how that hatred began, how it manifested itself in the destruction of Darien, and how destructive passion finally cooled so that rebuilding could begin. It is a story of good and evil, of the war and the agonies of radical change, of fanatic crusaders and courageous humanitarians, of the victims of violence and lawlessness and their victimizers, of guilt and not-so-innocence.
A specialist in Georgia and Southern History, the late Spencer B. King, Jr. was a distinguished Professor of History at Mercer University.