The Banditti and the Regulators: Passion and Terrorism in Lincoln’s Wild Midwest

The Banditti and the Regulators describes the beginnings of the Ku Klux Klan in Lincoln's time. Since the author's ancestors were shot by vigilantes called Regulators, the story is told in a diary format as though her great-grandmother is writing about her abolitionist father-in-law and her husband. Set in Orange, Illinois, now called Sycamore, the book tells the history of her family as abolitionists. It is well-documented from discussions with local historians and much research into court records as well as many books and periodicals. Notes by the author depict the historical climate of the times regarding Native Americans and Black history. Biographical accounts of Lincoln's life also give credibility and continuity to the story. Lincoln was a close friend of one of the author's ancestors, and quotes from his speeches are pertinent to the struggle of these abolitionist ancestors.

Born in Sycamore, Illinois, originally called Orange, Donna Patten Goldsmith-Day has lived in Annapolis for over thirty years. She is owner of MDinns.com which features many inns and famous homes of Maryland. She attended Northern Illinois University and MacMurray College in Southern Illinois where early chapters of this book are set.