The Diary of Horatio White
Page 3
The Diary of Horatio White Tidbits
This story was first submitted for the Pill Hill Press anthology, Gone With The Dirt (Civil War zombies). The premise for Gone With The Dirt has an interesting back story. Pill Hill Press had another zombie anthology based on a painting and was taking suggestions for a title (Rotting Tales was the title chosen). Jokingly, I suggested Gone With The Dirt. That got the wheels turning in Jessy Marie Roberts head and a second anthology was born.
Of course I had to submit a story for it, it was partially my fault. Luckily, I had already been researching the Civil War for a different story, so I was somewhat prepared. One of the questions that cropped up during my research of The Battle at Antietam Creek was how did the Union Army manage to lose. The Union Army had intelligence on the whereabouts of Lee’s army, and a two to one advantage in manpower and artillery. They’d caught Lee with his pants down. The battle should have been won, and the war ended on that September day in 1862. How did the Union Army lose?
The real answer was ineptness. McClellan only deployed half his troops. Poor communication, and shear bad luck were also major contributors. But when I saw this anthology theme, Civil War zombies, I wondered: what if the Union Army encountered a platoon of zombies, an enemy that could take bullet after bullet and wouldn’t fall, and wouldn’t stop advancing? In an effort to bring veracity to the story, I used actual names, places, and events as much as possible. The battle to take the cornfield (and retake it over and over again) actually happened pretty much as described - minus the zombies, of course. But then again...
About the Author
Mark Souza lives in the Pacific Northwest with his wife, two children, and mongrel beast-dog, Tater. When he’s not writing, he’s out among you trying to look and act normal (whatever that is), reminding himself that the monsters he’s created are all in his head, no more real than campaign promises.