Peace Before the Second Storm

 
by Anthony Wood

The Siege of Vicksburg has ended and for Lummy Tullos, so has the war. Weary of battle, loss, and death, he has decided to return to Winn Parish to salvage what little life he has left. Sneaking away from the Confederate Army on the march from Vicksburg to a parole camp, he sets out with his closest friend, J.A., on a path of their own choosing. Together they evade Union patrols, cross the Mississippi River under fire, and dodge the Southern Home Guard as they make the long walk home.

He comes home ready to lay down his weapons of war, only to find his fight for justice has just begun. Reuniting with his friend and former slave Old Bart, Lummy learns the brutal truth surrounding the death of his wife, Susannah. Filled with grief, he must regain his strength and the leader of a ragtag army of former rebel soldiers as they hunt down outlaw Home Guardsman Dawg Smith and the other members of his corrupt band, responsible for years of mayhem and death across the parish. It's not the homecoming he'd once wished for, but when Lummy stumbles across the opportunity to live up to his new oath of setting men free, he recognizes it for what it really is—a path to his own redemption.

Published:
Publisher: Hat Creek
Genres:
Historical, War/Military

Tags:
civil war, historical fiction, historical fiction novels

About the Author

Anthony Wood

Anthony Wood grew up in historic Natchez, Mississippi, fueling a life-long love of history. Not long after high school, he lived and worked in Alaska for several years. He returned to the South and ministered for nearly three decades among the poor, homeless, and incarcerated. Leading an effort that planted five urban churches inspired him to co-author Up Close and Personal: Embracing the Poor about his work in Memphis, Tennessee. He also authored a number of articles and stories about inner city ministry.

Anthony is a member of Turner’s Battery, a Civil War re-enactment group, the Civil War Roundtable of Arkansas, the Oghma Creative Media board, and serves as secretary for White County Creative Writers’ group. His short stories and poetry have won awards and have been published in Saddlebag Dispatches, The Vault of Terror, and The Avocet: A Journal of Nature Poetry.

When not writing, Anthony enjoys roaming and researching historical sites, camping and kayaking on the Mississippi River, and being with family. Anthony and his wife, Lisa, live in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Contact Anthony at awoodxulon@yahoo.com or find him on Facebook.

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