Grounding Historical Fiction Characters in Reality as a Military Writer

by Ann DeWitt

When a layman without military experience embarks upon a journey to tell a young adult historical fiction story, one of the best approaches is to interview several individuals who are experts in not only military experience but also the time period of the war era.  What age would a main character be in order to possess the physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional endurance for the horrors of the American Civil War?  After all, this is "ready aim fire" face to face combat on foot.  Remember, there are no tanks to shelter soldiers in the 19th Century.  Simply put, the main character needs to make the young adult reader feel safe.

How would a main character without military experience be trained? What intellectual capacity would he or she possess in order to follow military commands?   These are the types of questions a debut military writer asks.

Thus, in speaking with several experts, the best age for main character Issac in the novel Entangled In Freedom: A Civil War Story, would be the early twenties.  Why?  Issac would have to be physically fit to handle the terrain of the Cumberland Mountains in Tennessee. After visiting Cumberland Gap, Tennessee National Park and walking the terrain myself, the point made by the experts about endurance was grounded in truth. Also, the tour guide at Cumberland, Gap National Park was in his twenties and the young adults on the tour simply were captivated by him--even my 18 year old son.  So, to say that young adults do not identify with a person in their twenties is not based on reality.

With the age, what military unit in Georgia travelled to Cumberland, Gap Tennessee?  If you are familiar with or research Georgia History, you will know that Isaac walked in the exact footsteps of the Confederate States Army 42nd Georgia Regiment Volunteers.  They travelled from their homes in Oxford, Georgia, to Camp McDonald, the Georgia Military Institute training camp where Isaac receives military training, to Cumberland, Gap Tennessee. 

In addition, Isaac’s intellectual capabilities are superb because he was a slave trained to read, write and conduct business on behalf of his slaveholder, Abraham Green. If you are not convinced of the reality that a slave conducted business for his slaveholder, look to the New York Times article about Benjamin Montgomery, who was a slave and known as the personal secretary of Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis. [See: http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F10914F83B5F1A738DDDAE0994D1405B8385F0D3]

In the end, Isaac is a role model, especially in a modern day world when several pop stars, professional athletes, and actors are quick to say, "I'm not your role model.  Look to <blank> to be your role model."  However, through Isaac's younger brother Jeremiah, we see the hopes and dreams of the young adult reader.

In conclusion, there is a great deal of work which goes into military stories.  Some focus on the politics and/or the grand scale battles, whereas, Entangled In Freedom focuses on the slave experience, military ground and military units not widely known to readers.  So, after you read the novel, plan a trip to Georgia and Tennessee.  You will step into Isaac's shoes and see Civil War events through his eyes.

Highlighting the Good in Humanity,
Ann
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Ann DeWitt and Kevin M. Weeks
Recipients of the prestigious Mom’s Choice Awards
for Young Adult Historical Fiction
www.entangledinfreedom.com