Joe Bird is a Shawnee scout for the Union Army in Kentucky. An encounter with Cato leads to Joe’s coming out. Joe professes his love for a blue-eyed Union soldier—none other than Private Jack Robinson. Joe Bird’s character was inspired by this photo of a 19th-century Native American.
It wasn’t easy for gay men in 1862 to find each other. It required trust in instinct, some amount of gaydar, and a willingness to take risk. It would have required a great deal of trust before the topic could even be broached. But I’ve chosen to depict several such encounters in this story, because I believe the impetus of sexual desire would have propelled men to find each other despite the odds and despite the danger.
It wasn’t easy for gay men in 1862 to find each other. It required trust in instinct, some amount of gaydar, and a willingness to take risk. It would have required a great deal of trust before the topic could even be broached. But I’ve chosen to depict several such encounters in this story, because I believe the impetus of sexual desire would have propelled men to find each other despite the odds and despite the danger.