The raid of the guerilla, and other stories

In a secluded corner of the Great Smoky Mountains, a tiny settlement clings to life while the Civil War rages beyond its pine‑rimmed borders. The men have been conscripted or fallen, leaving an aging, weary population of women and children who keep the hearths burning and the stories of home alive. Into this fragile peace rides a fierce guerrilla band, intent on striking Tanglefoot Cove and carving its name into the war’s chaotic ledger. At the heart of the tension sits young Ethelinda Brusie, whose sharp blue eyes watch the fire flicker as rumors of the raid swirl through her family’s modest cabin.

The villagers face a stark choice: offer the Union officer a hidden mountain tunnel that could spare them, or risk the wrath of raiders and the loss of what little freedom they possess. As elders whisper warnings and knit while fearing the arrival of “the enemy,” the community’s courage is tested more by whispered resolve than by gunfire. In these first hours, the story captures the fragile hope and quiet heroism that blossom when ordinary people must decide what they are willing to sacrifice for survival.