A short introduction

Over one hundred fifty years ago, a Civil War Union payroll wagon and a river barge crash in an unrecorded history of arrogance and pride, sacrificing lives and forfeiting a long-awaited payday for three thousand men. Two sides of the same legendary story and the same lost treasure of that long-ago war awaken modern-day treasure hunters when new evidence is exposed, lending credibility to family lore. An old red canoe harbors the most important clue, initiating an unfriendly race to find its meaning and expose the prize that awaits. Derrick Nolen, a photojournalist on assignment in Front Royal, Virginia, is swept up into the pursuit when a chance encounter with the red canoe and the MacGregor sisters hijacks his assignment, luring him into their adventure.