THE STORY: As the Union forces approach their gracious Georgia mansion, a group of Southern gentlewomen nervously await the appearance of General Sherman himself—sure that he is a barbarian who will allow their estate to be pillaged and looted. When Sherman arrives he proves to be gruff enough but, at the same time, a complex and feeling man whose intellect is at odds with his responsibilities. One of the ladies, several months pregnant, pleads for the release of her husband, a minister who has been taken captive by the northerners; while another, young and impressionable, falls under the spell of the Yankee mercenary whose job is to provision the troops. Out of the fascinating confrontations which ensue come understanding—and even romance—and, in the end, an illumination both of the awful accommodations which must be made between unwilling enemies and of the disturbing uncertainties that still lie ahead for all.
Dealing with a confrontation between General Sherman and a group of southern ladies who have been apprehensively awaiting his arrival, this is a vivid, richly worded play.
“…nothing short of superb theatre.” —The New York Times.
“It’s a good, strong, stirring play…There is a rich redolence to his English, a handling of imagery, original but never forced, that summons up recollections of the great days of Tennessee Williams.” —New York Magazine.
