Philip Nolan

Philip Nolan is Chuck Pfarrer's captivating adaptation of The Man Without a Country," the short story originally published in The Atlantic in 1863. Masterfully blending history and fiction, Pfarrer transforms an allegory promoting the Union cause into the story of a young artillery officer, Phillip Nolan, who becomes embroiled in Aaron Burr's 1807 conspiracy to invade the territories acquired in the Louisiana Purchase. Insinuating that his plot has official approval, Burr convinces Nolan to carry a coded message into the Orleans Territory. Nolan has no idea that the former vice-president intends to set himself up as a dictatorand Burr has no idea that his scheme has been discovered. Soon both Burr and Nolan are in military custody, and Nolan is an accessory to treason.The nation holds its breath as Burr is put on trial for attempting to dismember the union. The charges against Burr seem ironclad, but his lawyers are clever, and Burr is acquitted. An embarrassed...