The United States, 1847. A disparate group of young American soldiers is bound to join General Winfield Scott''s campaign against Santa Anna at Vera Cruz during the Mexican-American War. They never arrive. Or rather . . . they arrive somewhere else. The untried, idealistic soldiers are mostly replacements, really; a handful of infantry, artillery, dragoons, and a few mounted riflemen with no unified command. And they''ve been shipwrecked on a terrible, different Earth full of monsters and unimaginable enemies. Captain Lewis Cayce, late of the 3rd US ''Flying'' Artillery Regiment, must unite these soldiers to face their fears and myriad threats, armed with little more than flintlock muskets, a few pieces of artillery, and a worldview that spiritually and culturally rebels against virtually everything they encounter. It will take extraordinary leadership and a cadre of equally extraordinary men and women to mould frightened troops into an effective force, make friends with other peoples
