Tom Barnes's Blog: Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog - Posts Tagged "sherman"
Young Doc Holliday and The Legend of Ebo Landing
This Week
Doc Holliday – The Early Years
The Legend of Ebo Landing
Writers Notebook: On Conflict
Georgia and Sherman's March to the Sea
Young John Henry enrolled at the Valdosta Institute and rode into town five days a week to attend classes.
Late one afternoon Major Holliday and Alice sat on the veranda discussing the whereabouts of Mary Anne and the children when they heard hoof beats rapidly approaching.
"Somebody's in an awful hurry," Major Holliday declared.
Alice put down her knitting. "Could be John Henry, it's time for him."
Major Holliday got up from his chair walked to the front steps just as John Henry raced into the yard. The youngster reined in his mount and jumped to the ground in front of his father. “Papa we got mail from Aunt Mary Anne postmarked Macon and I got a letter from Mattie.”
John Henry handed Aunt Mary Anne’s letter to his father then sat down on the front steps and opened the letter from his cousin Mattie. John Henry had been corresponding with his favorite cousin since she and her sister entered Saint Vincent’s Academy in Savannah.
Major Holliday opened Mary Anne’s one page letter, took out his specs, and began to read.
"Well Henry, what does Mary Anne say?"
The major continued reading for a moment before he looked up with a wide smile and said, "They're safe."
Alice questioned. "Were they caught up in the fighting?"
"No darlin', their Uncle Philip took them to the farm. But when they came back into town and saw that the house and neighborhood was a complete shambles she joined the refugees moving south and they are presently on their way here."
That’s wonderful, Henry,” Alice said as she glanced at her son. “What does Mattie have to say?”
“She said one of the Sister’s rapped her on the knuckles with a ruler when she referred to the Union Army as those detestable Yankees.” John Henry laughed and said, “I’ll bet that’s not the word she used. Oh, and she said to give Aunt Alice and Uncle Henry a hug.”
Mary Anne eventually arrived with her three young children Theresa, Rosalie and Little James about the same time Sherman moved his troops out of Atlanta on his planned march to the sea.
Major Holliday immediately saw Sherman’s Army as a threat Mattie and Rebecca, presently residing, at St. Vincent’s Academy in Savannah.
When Sherman moved his army out of Atlanta and began his infamous march to the sea Major Holliday took John Henry along, boarded a train, went to Savannah, picked up the girls and brought them back to their mother at the farm.
General Sherman was as good as his word for he plundered his way through Georgia in his march to the sea and spent Christmas in Savannah. Sherman opened the New Year of 1865 by sprinting through South Carolina and heading north.
One day before Sherman was to engage his old nemesis, Joe Johnston at Bentonville, North Carolina General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army to Union General U.S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. That was on Sunday afternoon April 9, 1865 and the following Friday night John Wilks Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln getting some kind of misguided revenge and at the same time insuring the yoke and hard times for the people of the South.
(To be continued)
Tungee's Gold: The Legend of Ebo Landing
The idea for this historical novel came from an old slave tale, “The Legend of Ebo Landing.” I first heard the story at a Savannah waterfront bar while doing research and writing for my PBS Television Series, “Georgia’s Heritage.” The legend came from a story that tells of a number of West Africans that chose death rather than slavery. It is said that while a number of Ebo’s were debarking the slave ship they simply slipped into the water and drowned. The human tragedy got my attention and I followed up by going to St. Simons Island, the source of the story.
When I got to the island I asked some questions about the legend and was directed to an African-American woman known as the Voo Doo Lady. I located her house and introduced myself and was pleasantly surprised at the reception I got. After I explained what I was doing she led me on a walking tour of the island. Our first stop was a reed-covered estuary on the west side of St. Simons Island, which according to the Voo Doo Lady was the place called Ebo Landing, the scene of the actual tragedy. After that first stop my guide gave me a short history lesson of the place and we walked from one church and cemetery to another with the Voo Doo Lady talking and I taking notes.
At the end of the day I had only one nagging question – why? After a ton of research and ninety thousand words later I found the answer.
For Tungee's Gold excerpts and book page Click Here
Writers Notebook:
Trouble. When I think of that word my first thought usually goes to Meredith Wilson’s Music Man. ‘Trouble in River City…’ and what does that lead to? Conflict. It leads to conflict between traveling salesman Harold Hill and the small town values of River City. And the musical continues to serve up trouble at a very fast pace.
In a Neil Simon comedy it might be a slow boil, but it’s there and Simon is quick to tell you that conflict drives his plots.
Author William Noble believes that good plotting relies on conflict, and there’s no better way to develop it than fastening on one important word: Trouble. Trouble for the characters, trouble for what they seek, trouble for how they go about getting it. If you think of conflict equaling trouble, you’ve got your drama off the ground.
And there you have it. If these good authors are to be believed, it appears that conflict and trouble can find a place in most any good story line.
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
Facebook and Twitter
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com
Doc Holliday – The Early Years
The Legend of Ebo Landing
Writers Notebook: On Conflict
Georgia and Sherman's March to the Sea
Young John Henry enrolled at the Valdosta Institute and rode into town five days a week to attend classes.
Late one afternoon Major Holliday and Alice sat on the veranda discussing the whereabouts of Mary Anne and the children when they heard hoof beats rapidly approaching.
"Somebody's in an awful hurry," Major Holliday declared.
Alice put down her knitting. "Could be John Henry, it's time for him."
Major Holliday got up from his chair walked to the front steps just as John Henry raced into the yard. The youngster reined in his mount and jumped to the ground in front of his father. “Papa we got mail from Aunt Mary Anne postmarked Macon and I got a letter from Mattie.”
John Henry handed Aunt Mary Anne’s letter to his father then sat down on the front steps and opened the letter from his cousin Mattie. John Henry had been corresponding with his favorite cousin since she and her sister entered Saint Vincent’s Academy in Savannah.
Major Holliday opened Mary Anne’s one page letter, took out his specs, and began to read.
"Well Henry, what does Mary Anne say?"
The major continued reading for a moment before he looked up with a wide smile and said, "They're safe."
Alice questioned. "Were they caught up in the fighting?"
"No darlin', their Uncle Philip took them to the farm. But when they came back into town and saw that the house and neighborhood was a complete shambles she joined the refugees moving south and they are presently on their way here."
That’s wonderful, Henry,” Alice said as she glanced at her son. “What does Mattie have to say?”
“She said one of the Sister’s rapped her on the knuckles with a ruler when she referred to the Union Army as those detestable Yankees.” John Henry laughed and said, “I’ll bet that’s not the word she used. Oh, and she said to give Aunt Alice and Uncle Henry a hug.”
Mary Anne eventually arrived with her three young children Theresa, Rosalie and Little James about the same time Sherman moved his troops out of Atlanta on his planned march to the sea.
Major Holliday immediately saw Sherman’s Army as a threat Mattie and Rebecca, presently residing, at St. Vincent’s Academy in Savannah.
When Sherman moved his army out of Atlanta and began his infamous march to the sea Major Holliday took John Henry along, boarded a train, went to Savannah, picked up the girls and brought them back to their mother at the farm.
General Sherman was as good as his word for he plundered his way through Georgia in his march to the sea and spent Christmas in Savannah. Sherman opened the New Year of 1865 by sprinting through South Carolina and heading north.
One day before Sherman was to engage his old nemesis, Joe Johnston at Bentonville, North Carolina General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army to Union General U.S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. That was on Sunday afternoon April 9, 1865 and the following Friday night John Wilks Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln getting some kind of misguided revenge and at the same time insuring the yoke and hard times for the people of the South.
(To be continued)
Tungee's Gold: The Legend of Ebo Landing
The idea for this historical novel came from an old slave tale, “The Legend of Ebo Landing.” I first heard the story at a Savannah waterfront bar while doing research and writing for my PBS Television Series, “Georgia’s Heritage.” The legend came from a story that tells of a number of West Africans that chose death rather than slavery. It is said that while a number of Ebo’s were debarking the slave ship they simply slipped into the water and drowned. The human tragedy got my attention and I followed up by going to St. Simons Island, the source of the story.
When I got to the island I asked some questions about the legend and was directed to an African-American woman known as the Voo Doo Lady. I located her house and introduced myself and was pleasantly surprised at the reception I got. After I explained what I was doing she led me on a walking tour of the island. Our first stop was a reed-covered estuary on the west side of St. Simons Island, which according to the Voo Doo Lady was the place called Ebo Landing, the scene of the actual tragedy. After that first stop my guide gave me a short history lesson of the place and we walked from one church and cemetery to another with the Voo Doo Lady talking and I taking notes.
At the end of the day I had only one nagging question – why? After a ton of research and ninety thousand words later I found the answer.
For Tungee's Gold excerpts and book page Click Here
Writers Notebook:
Trouble. When I think of that word my first thought usually goes to Meredith Wilson’s Music Man. ‘Trouble in River City…’ and what does that lead to? Conflict. It leads to conflict between traveling salesman Harold Hill and the small town values of River City. And the musical continues to serve up trouble at a very fast pace.
In a Neil Simon comedy it might be a slow boil, but it’s there and Simon is quick to tell you that conflict drives his plots.
Author William Noble believes that good plotting relies on conflict, and there’s no better way to develop it than fastening on one important word: Trouble. Trouble for the characters, trouble for what they seek, trouble for how they go about getting it. If you think of conflict equaling trouble, you’ve got your drama off the ground.
And there you have it. If these good authors are to be believed, it appears that conflict and trouble can find a place in most any good story line.
Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels Tungee's Gold, The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
Facebook and Twitter
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com
http://thehurricanehunter.blogspot.com
Tom's 'RocktheTower' Blog
I do a variety blog and post every Wednesday. I am an actor, writer and hurricane hunter and my subjects are generally written about those fields. During Hurricane Season I do at least one story every
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