The raid of the guerilla

In the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains, the isolated hamlet of Tanglefoot Cove braces for an ominous raid. The community, stripped thin by war and conscription, clings to flickering hope as a notorious guerrilla band threatens to sweep through its humble log cabins. Amid the crackling hearth and whispered prayers, young Ethelinda watches her family wrestle with fear and the weight of a desperate plan.

When a Union officer becomes lost in the rugged terrain, the townsfolk – especially the women and the few remaining boys – are forced to decide whether to aid him or risk severe retribution. Ethelinda, torn between loyalty to her kin and the lingering echo of Union sympathies, finds herself at the center of a dangerous secret. The story captures the tense atmosphere of a Civil‑War frontier, where survival hinges on quiet bravery and the whispered choices made in the glow of a dying fire.