Tag: ghosts

“Ghost of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse” – historical ghost story

The twelfth story in my book, Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, is a story about a ghost from the American Revolutionary War.

Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, by Janet Morrison

The story takes place in Greensboro, North Carolina in 1965, but it is about the ghost of a British soldier from the Battle of Guilford Courthouse which took place during the American Revolutionary War on March 15, 1781. It is my first (and possibly, last) ghost story.

Photo by Matt Briney on Unsplash

This story was inspired by some unexplained happenings at the condominium my sister and another teacher shared near the Guilford Courthouse Battleground in the 1980s.

None of us had any particular interest in ghosts until the commode upstairs would flush when no one was up there and even guests on occasion had the feeling that someone had entered their bedroom when there was no one to be seen. A can randomly falling off a pantry shelf was also unsettling.

I hope my ghost story will make you a little more knowledgeable about the Battle of Guilford Courthouse which was one of the last battles before Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia.

There is a dog in the story for all you dog lovers.

Note: I made an error in the story. I originally had it set in the 1970s. At the last minute, I changed it to 1965. One of my 1970s characters called 9-1-1, and I forgot to change that when I shifted the story to 1965. It has been brought to my attention by an astute read and fellow writer that 9-1-1 emergency telephone service did not begin in the United States until 1968. My apologies. I try to have all details in my historical fiction writing to be accurate, but this one got past me.

If you missed any of my previous blog posts about the stories in Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories, here are the links: “The Tailor’s Shears” – Historical Short Story, “You Couldn’t Help But Like Bob” — historical short story, “To Run or Not to Run” – historical short story, “Making the Best of a Tragedy” – historical short story, “From Scotland to America” – historical short story, “Whom Can We Trust?” – historical short story, “Go fight, Johnny!” – historical short story, “A Letter from Sharpsburg” – historical fiction, “Slip Sliding Away” – historical short story, “Plott Hound Called Buddy” – historical short story, and “Secrets of a Foster Child” – historical short story.

Traveling Through History: A Collection of Historical Short Stories is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, or ask for it at your favorite independent bookstore. Stores that I know try to keep it in stock are Second Look Books in Harrisburg, NC; Highland Books in Brevard, NC; and Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville, NC.

I thank those stores and I thank you for supporting my writing!

Janet

The government should be afraid of its citizens, not the other way around.

As a Reader of Historical Novels, Do You Read the Author’s Notes Before or After you Read the Book?

Do you like having Author’s Notes at the end of an historical novel so you’ll know what was true, what was fiction, and what actually happened but was adjusted time-wise or by location to fit the flow of the story?

The Author’s Notes are almost always found at the back of an historical novel. I used to wait and read the Author’s Notes after I had finished reading an historical novel, but now I always read those notes first. The notes not only give insight about the story, but also make clear which parts of the book are based on fact and which parts are fictional.

Do you read the Author’s Notes before or after you read an historical novel?

An example from my ghost story

I thought it only fitting to include Author’s Notes at the end of my short story: Ghost of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse: An American Revolutionary War Ghost Story. In case you haven’t purchased the short story yet, here is my Author’s Note from the ghost story:

“I’ve never believed in ghosts, but this story is based on the events my sister and her housemate experienced in their condominium in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1980s. The upstairs commode would flush when no one was upstairs. Cans occasionally fell off the pantry shelf. A house guest was frightened by the sensation that someone had walked into her bedroom and stood at the foot of the bed. In fact, she thought this person had called her by name – Mary. She had no knowledge of the unexplained incidents the residents had experienced.

“Peter Francisco was an actual American soldier in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. At six-feet-six-inches tall and 260 pounds, he was much larger than the average American man during that era. He was credited with being ruthless with his broadsword. There is a visitors’ center on the grounds of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse; however, the rest of the story is fiction.”

After reading my Author’s Note, are you more interested or less interested in reading my ghost story?

Since my last blog post

I’ve edited three of the historical short stories I drafted a few months ago. I took inventory of my historical short stories. I want to write five more from scratch before I publish the collection. Something to look forward to in 2024!

I’ve done more research about the colonial settlement of Bethabara, North Carolina and read more resources about Shallowford on the Yadkin River. This is needed research for my first historical novel. Something else to look forward to!

Until my next blog post

If you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter through my website, https://www.janetmorrisonbooks.com, please do so before you miss any more newsletters. The next one will go out around November 1. For subscribing, you’ll receive a free downloadable copy of “Slip Sliding Away: A Southern Historical Short Story,” so you can get a feel for my historical fiction writing. I have a “field trip” planned before October is over, but you’ll have to subscribe to my newsletter to hear about it.

Have you ordered my American Revolution e-ghost story?  “Ghost of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse: An American Revolutionary War Ghost Story” is available from Amazon, along with my other books: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CH7JCP11/. October is the perfect time to read a ghost story!

Anytime is the perfect time to purchase a cookbook! Have you ordered your copy of The Aunts I the Kitchen: Southern Family Recipes? Order one for yourself and one for each of your aunts at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CJLKFDPR/. (It’s not too early to start your Christmas shopping.)

Make time for your friends and family.

Remember the people of Ukraine and Israel. Terrorism has no place in our world.

Janet