"Towards the end of the Civil War a large number of gold payroll shipments from both sides of the Mason-Dixon line have mysteriously disappeared. In the confusion inherent to war, both sides think the other is to blame. But General Grant holds the quiet persuasion that an unknown third party has masterminded a plan to use the acquired funds for some purpose that poses a threat to the reunification of the Union. He secretly sends out a group of his finest men, led by an aging but still gifted Henri Mueller, to locate the missing gold, find out who took it and why. Mueller's search begins in Andersonville, a Confederate prison carved from the red mud of Georgia. The trail moves to the new Colorado Territory where a brilliant, though mentally unbalanced Everett Steele, desires to create the independent Republic of Jefferson from the rich mineral and timber lands of the future State of Colorado. Grant's select team, in spite of danger, separation, and time, tenaciously follow the trail of gold to discover the real reason behind Steele's plan." --,Provided by publisher