In the spring of 2023, a Kentucky farmer noticed the furrows behind his plow begin to sparkle in the sun. He had just inadvertently unearthed hundreds of Confederate gold coins, the newest from 1863. No one knows how or why they were there. Well, one man does. Cotton trader, photographer, philanderer, and Civil War veteran (having served with dubious distinction on both sides), Jack Bailey is back in King Cotton II - Kentucky Gold. Picking up exactly where King Cotton ends, just moments after Lincoln's assassination, Bailey flees Washington justifiably fearing that he'll be implicated. During his ensuing travels he encounters many of the famous characters of the day, such as Jefferson Davis, Wild Bill Hickok, Kit Carson, Frank and Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill Cody. Prior acquaintances, including Allan Pinkerton, Ulysses S. Grant, distiller John Beam, and P.T. Barnum return. As usual, Bailey's exploits place him at many notable historic events, including the first quick draw gunfight in the old west, herding longhorn up the Old Chisholm Trail, one of the earliest train robberies in America, Black Friday of September 1869, and the Battle of Beecher Island, Colorado. True to form, he finds himself in various boudoirs along the way, entertaining ladies that range from famous actresses to borderline sociopaths. As it was in King Cotton, all of the events, timelines, and most of the characters in this sequel are real.
