Like a growing storm cloud, a contingent of deserters, ex-convicts, jayhawkers and outlaws gradually assemble at Lake Bistineau, a scant 15 miles from the homestead. It begins when attempting to return from Shreveport with badly needed supplies. A brutal ambush that leaves eight dead and Richard Bryan seriously wounded takes place on the lake's north shore. His family watches anxiously as he attempts to piece together a small resistance to...