This is a work of the imagination. While some of the characters and incidents portrayed here can be found in accounts fo the life and times of John Brown, the famous abolitionist, they have been altered and rearranged by the author to suit the strict purposes of storytelling. These characters and incidents, despite their resemblance to actual persons and known events, are therefore the products of the author's imagination. Accordingly, the book should be read soleley as a work of fiction, not as a version or interpretation of history.

Russel Banks: Cloudsplitter (Author's Note)