North and South (trilogy)

• 1. West Point Friendship Origins

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  The year 1842 marked the beginning of a bond that would span decades and continents. Orry Main from South Carolina met George Hazard from Pennsylvania on their way to the United States Military Academy at West Point. They soon became close friends, frequently confronting their regional differences within the frame of their friendship. During their time at the academy, both men were tormented by a sadistic Ohioan cadet named Elkanah Bent. The two could not effect Bent's final expulsion from the school because he returned later.

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• 2. Mexican War And Rising Tensions

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  Orry and George graduated and became officers in the United States Army during the Mexican, American War. On the way to Mexico, George courted a young Irish woman in Texas named Constance. The companions ended up in the Battle of Churubusco in 1847 where Bent ordered them to carry out a risky mission. Orry's arm was badly wounded and eventually amputated while George stayed behind. He was sent home but his friend remained until released due to his father's death.

• 3. Civil War Tragedy And Death

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  One year after the Mains and Hazards rendezvous in Pennsylvania, Billy was stationed only a few miles away from the Mains' plantation. Confederate forces under the command of Brigadier General Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter setting off the American Civil War. Orry served as a military advisor to Jefferson Davis before being killed at the Third Battle of Petersburg. A wounded soldier tried to help him but instead caused his death. His older brother Cooper had been sent to Britain to buy ships for the Confederacy.

• 4. Reconstruction Era Confrontations

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  The trilogy concludes with Heaven and Hell set chiefly between 1865 and 1869 following Charles Main who fought wars with Native Americans. The presumed-dead Elkanah Bent murdered George Hazard's wife Constance targeting both families for complete destruction. Orry Main's widow Madeline became an octoroon target of the newly established Ku Klux Klan. One chapter showed the families gathering together at the 1876 Centennial Exposition while another flashed forward to 1883 when their sons entered West Point just like their fathers did.

• 5. Authorial Development And Publication

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  John Jakes wrote the first novel North and South in 1982 followed by Love and War in 1984. He completed the trilogy with Heaven and Hell published in 1987. All three novels debuted on The New York Times Best Seller list reaching No. 1 within four weeks on the 28th of February 1982. Publishers Weekly ranked them as top ten hardcover fiction bestsellers for their respective years. As of 2007 ten million copies remained in print showing enduring popularity across generations.

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• 6. Television Miniseries Adaptations

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  ABC produced a six-part television miniseries starring Patrick Swayze as Orry Main and James Read as George Hazard premiering the 3rd of November 1985. It remains the seventh-highest rated miniseries in TV history according to industry records. A sequel called North and South: Book II debuted the 4th of May 1986 achieving similar success levels. The final installment Heaven and Hell premiered the 27th of February 1994 but failed to match predecessor ratings significantly. Notable departures included Kirstie Alley's character Virgilia not surviving while Bent became wiry instead of obese Ohioan.