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Specter of The Covington Fencibles
Haunting and ghostly Novella from the Civil War Era based on the author's great grandfather, Pvt. Leonard B. McGrew, C.S.A.
Known as an ornery and mean spirited man, L.B. McGrew was rumored to have killed a small boy for stealing food during the War Between The States. Wounded in the knee and hip at Stone's River, L.B. is sent to Rome, Ga. for medical treatment.
There, he is informed the boy visited him while recuperating.
Discharged and sent home because of his injuries, L.B. returns to Covington County Mississippi, starts a family, and becomes a farmer. Through the years, the boy continues appearing to relatives and friends. Enraged and agitated, he refuses to listen to the stories.
Until that is, his final days. It is on his deathbed that L.B. McGrew meets the boy again.
Book purposely uses period slang.
Known as an ornery and mean spirited man, L.B. McGrew was rumored to have killed a small boy for stealing food during the War Between The States. Wounded in the knee and hip at Stone's River, L.B. is sent to Rome, Ga. for medical treatment.
There, he is informed the boy visited him while recuperating.
Discharged and sent home because of his injuries, L.B. returns to Covington County Mississippi, starts a family, and becomes a farmer. Through the years, the boy continues appearing to relatives and friends. Enraged and agitated, he refuses to listen to the stories.
Until that is, his final days. It is on his deathbed that L.B. McGrew meets the boy again.
Book purposely uses period slang.
50 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 17, 2011
7 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
William Deen
11 books56 followersWilliam & Pam are authors and educators from Pensacola Florida. Pam is now retired, staying home to write, edit, and take care of their two cats, Mittens and Sassy.
Their current titles include the historical fiction, fantasy, mythology novella series, The Gods Among Us. All four novellas, Banished, Versipellis, Suffer The Innocent, and Return To Nibiru, are available individually or together in one title.
Specter of The Covington Fencibles, a Civil War era ghost novella about the author's great grandfather is now on sale. Future paranormal novellas based on this period are planned for 2013.
Strega Muirne (Moor-na), novella one of a new series, The Streghe, is now in publication. Book Two, Stregone Alberich is currently being written.
The Groaning Bridge, a novel based on the legend of Sir Goddard Oxenbridge is scheduled to be published November 15, 2012. Sir Goddard was a knight to King Henry VIII. His life changed at the Battle of Flodden Field. Rumors and lore claim he was a cannibal who terrorized the children of Brede, England. Hence, his nicknames, The Giant of Brede and The Ogre of Sussex.
You can visit ther site/blog for more information and extended multi chapter readings of all their titles.
http://authorwilliamdeen.blogspot.com/
Also, you can find us on twitter @williamdeen
and
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
Their current titles include the historical fiction, fantasy, mythology novella series, The Gods Among Us. All four novellas, Banished, Versipellis, Suffer The Innocent, and Return To Nibiru, are available individually or together in one title.
Specter of The Covington Fencibles, a Civil War era ghost novella about the author's great grandfather is now on sale. Future paranormal novellas based on this period are planned for 2013.
Strega Muirne (Moor-na), novella one of a new series, The Streghe, is now in publication. Book Two, Stregone Alberich is currently being written.
The Groaning Bridge, a novel based on the legend of Sir Goddard Oxenbridge is scheduled to be published November 15, 2012. Sir Goddard was a knight to King Henry VIII. His life changed at the Battle of Flodden Field. Rumors and lore claim he was a cannibal who terrorized the children of Brede, England. Hence, his nicknames, The Giant of Brede and The Ogre of Sussex.
You can visit ther site/blog for more information and extended multi chapter readings of all their titles.
http://authorwilliamdeen.blogspot.com/
Also, you can find us on twitter @williamdeen
and
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 30, 2011
Specter of the Covington Fencibles is a well-crafted piece of fiction based on Mr. Deen's family history. I enjoyed this novella from start to finish. The story was fascinating and the character development was excellent. Mr. Deen made you really feel what was going on and guided your emotions to where he wanted them to go. So much so that I was surprised by how much I disliked Deen's ancestor, L.B. McGrew. McGrew was definitely someone who deserved his comeuppance.
It takes some serious stones to write a story in which your ancestor is a total $@#%heel. This story goes to show that even some of the nicest people can have nasty ancestors that make for great characters.
The story of the Covington Fencibles follows Leonard Bradford McGrew through his time as a Confederate infantryman, a civilian bounty hunter during the War Between the States and his civilian life. You get the full effect of how much of a terrible person LB McGrew is during the war when he shoots a young boy of ten or so for allegedly stealing some of LB's provisions. From this incident is spawned the specter in the novella's title.
The best part of this novella is the end when L.B. receives his just rewards for a life so miserably lived. It sent shivers up and down my spine.
The title is a little misleading though since the specter only truly haunts L.B. and not the entire company of the Fencibles, but it is a catchy title that grabs your imagination.
If you want a ghost story that chills you at exactly the right moments then Specter of the Covington Fencibles is for you.
It takes some serious stones to write a story in which your ancestor is a total $@#%heel. This story goes to show that even some of the nicest people can have nasty ancestors that make for great characters.
The story of the Covington Fencibles follows Leonard Bradford McGrew through his time as a Confederate infantryman, a civilian bounty hunter during the War Between the States and his civilian life. You get the full effect of how much of a terrible person LB McGrew is during the war when he shoots a young boy of ten or so for allegedly stealing some of LB's provisions. From this incident is spawned the specter in the novella's title.
The best part of this novella is the end when L.B. receives his just rewards for a life so miserably lived. It sent shivers up and down my spine.
The title is a little misleading though since the specter only truly haunts L.B. and not the entire company of the Fencibles, but it is a catchy title that grabs your imagination.
If you want a ghost story that chills you at exactly the right moments then Specter of the Covington Fencibles is for you.
October 16, 2011
Well, the old adage says that you can choose your friends but you can't choose your relations and I'm sure some families would like to bury the memories of some undesirables within their ranks. But not so with William Deen, for deep within the Deen family tree roots there lies a very unlikable man and an abhorrent act, and now he's been revealed!
Living in Australia I'm not too knowledgeable about the Amerian Civil War, but I found that the opening imagery set the scene very well and the overall feel was like that creepy Clint Eastwood Civil War movie "The Beguiled.
We follow Deen's ancestor from the Civil War into civilian life where times were tough and he was tough on his family, and the victim of the crime that he committed when fighting as part of the Covington Fencibles is waiting.......waiting.... and one can only imagine the weight of the guilt that the real life L B McGrew carried with him to have been so haunted on his death bed.
With one foot firmly planted in historical fact and the other tottering in the spectral realm I found this a nice tight creepy read before going to sleep. I was was pleasantly surprised.
Living in Australia I'm not too knowledgeable about the Amerian Civil War, but I found that the opening imagery set the scene very well and the overall feel was like that creepy Clint Eastwood Civil War movie "The Beguiled.
We follow Deen's ancestor from the Civil War into civilian life where times were tough and he was tough on his family, and the victim of the crime that he committed when fighting as part of the Covington Fencibles is waiting.......waiting.... and one can only imagine the weight of the guilt that the real life L B McGrew carried with him to have been so haunted on his death bed.
With one foot firmly planted in historical fact and the other tottering in the spectral realm I found this a nice tight creepy read before going to sleep. I was was pleasantly surprised.
March 25, 2012
A semi-biographical account of a cruel man who faces his comeuppance in the end, this historical short may be brief but it definitely doesn’t waste any words. We meet L.B., a borderline sociopath with a short temper and a penchant for violence. As a soldier in the Confederate Army, he seems to have found a niche for his personality, and it is during this time he is rumored to have committed a murder. The author does a nice job in describing L.B.’s cruelty balanced against his terror of his ghostly companion. He also handles the historical aspect of the story with care and just enough detail to transport the reader back into those difficult days. An accurate tale of the horror of war and the fear of karma, I highly recommend this short for a frightening ghost story to pass around a campfire!
June 18, 2012
This short story takes place during the U.S. Civil War in the mid-1800s. The main character, L.B. McGrew, is not a good man -- he enjoys killing -- just too much. He's part of the Confederate Army tagged with a group called "The Covington Fencibles," a motley group of men. This story contains many facts as revealed by the author's ancestral history. Entwined with the facts is L.B.'s life after he kills a young boy who follow the military unit seeking remnants of food. Such wrongs never leave the mind of an evil man. This is a fantastic tale, well written, and worthy to be read. It's the story of innocence getting revenge. A good read.
August 27, 2012
This is a nicely written and easily ingested campfire story about a ghost haunting his killer, a Civil War infantryman of little conscience and hairtrigger temper. What is even creepier is that a great deal of it is true, verifiable family history and surviving memories. The dramatization introduces fictional elements, all to the good of the story. I enjoyed reading it after midnight. I took off a star because the text still needed proper editing.
August 19, 2011
A great little bit of Civil War history wrapped up in a true family story of a not-so-likable character. The author has even provided photos of the subject and his family members. I love reading about history, and this was a true delight. Short, well written, just as if it popped out of the family Bible. If you love history, you're gonna love this one!
February 29, 2012
This was a really good read. It's a short story, so it's perfect for a quick read. The characters were interesting, and I kept wondering what would happen next. It was long enough to be interesting and catch my attention, and short enough not to drag on. I kept wondering what would come next!
January 5, 2012
A true story "wow" with some pictures at the end.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews