by Shane Phipps
They entered the mile-long tunnel in Kentucky and emerged in Tennessee. It was directly below the very route Boone had carved out and used to lead settlers into Richard Henderson’s Transylvania Colony.
Cody was excited to see his grandpa again. He looked forward to the blue-and-white sign that welcomed people into Tennessee, as he always got the feeling that he was being welcomed home. After another hour and a half of winding through one valley after another, Grandpa’s farm came into view.
Cody’s grandfather was waiting in the living room to welcome them. Cody greeted him with a big hug.
“How are those journals comin’ along?” Grandpa asked.
“I just finished them this weekend,” Cody answered. “I want to talk to you about them. I have a few questions to ask.”
“I just figured you might,” said Grandpa with a knowing wink. “We’ll sit ’n talk after supper.”
Later, Cody stuffed himself on good country cooking, and then he and his grandfather went out to the front porch. Cody drank in the beautiful view of the valley as he sat down in a chair.
“How was your trip?” asked Grandpa.
“Oh, pretty good,” answered Cody. “Traffic wasn’t too bad, so we made pretty good time.”
“I ain’t talkin’ about your trip today,” Grandpa interrupted. “I mean the journals.”
Cody suddenly felt strangely shy. He hadn’t anticipated it, but it was sort of hard to share what he had been through with his grandfather. The experience of traveling through the journals now seemed to be an intensely personal thing, even though he knew his grandfather had gone through it, too.
“Why didn’t you tell me what happens when we read the journals?” Cody asked. He didn’t like asking that question. It came out sounding accusatory, but Cody couldn’t stop it.
“It’s just somethin’ that we all go through alone. It’s a sort of rite of passage, I guess you could call it,” Grandpa replied. “Not knowin’ ahead of time is just part of the process. Every Carter has to find his own way through it the best he can.”
“You mean like a pa-waw-ka, right?” Cody said.
“I believe you got a lot out of those journals after all,” Grandpa replied with a knowing smile.
For the next hour, Cody and his grandpa discussed the details in the journals. They each shared their own feelings about what they had felt and experienced in the stories. Then Cody decided to ask the question that had been bothering him about writing his own journal.
“There is just one thing I have been wondering about all this, Grandpa,” said Cody.
“What’s that?” asked Grandpa.
“Well,” continued Cody, “it’s just that I don’t know how I am going to be able to write a journal of my own. How does my life stack up with all the history that is in those journals? Who’s going to want to read about my life? It’s kind of boring when you compare it to what I just read.”
“I understand what you’re sayin’, Cody,” said Grandpa. “There is somethin’ you don’t know about the journals, though. You see, I didn’t give you all the journals. I just picked out the ones I knew you’d like. There are a lot more, but not all of them are as excitin’ as the ones you’ve read. My journal’s among the one’s you haven’t read yet. I figure you’ll want to wait until I am gone before you read that one. That’s usually the way it works. It wouldn’t do to read a journal of someone who is still livin’.”
“I can understand that,” Cody responded, “but what about the journals that aren’t that exciting? What if my journal turns out to be boring?”
“That’s the thing about history, Cody,” Grandpa answered. “Everybody always thinks it is somethin’ that happened to other people a long time ago. The fact is, history is happenin’ to you right now. We’re all a part of it. Sometimes, our experiences happen at just the right time and place to make for an interesting story that goes into the history books, but most of the time, our experiences are more ordinary. It doesn’t make our lives boring or unimportant; that’s just the way it is. I figure if history is happenin’ to us, we might as well go ahead and write it down, just in case it gets excitin’. If you watch what’s goin’ on close enough and write it all down, somebody down the line will want to read about it—that’s just the way it goes. You don’t think ol’ Ethan Carter thought that makin’ all that maple syrup with Daniel and Rebecca Boone was excitin’ or that people would one day want to read about that, do you?”
Then Cody understood. It was like his history teacher said: Sometimes we do get a better view of history the further we get away from it. Sometimes, when you’re living through something, you don’t see it as history. It’s just life—but life is history, and history is life. And that, Cody thought, might be a good first entry in his own journal.
Afterword
What was fiction and what was real?
For me, the fun thing about writing historical fiction is that I get to take history and add my own flavors and spices to it. The overall historical backstory that runs throughout this book is based in fact.
Going into the writing process, I knew that I wanted to write about some parts of history that don’t get a lot of coverage in textbooks—such as the state of Franklin, for example. I also had settings in mind. I wanted to start in coastal North Carolina. My family vacations in the Outer Banks each summer, near Beaufort, where the first journal takes place. From there, I gradually wanted to move westward and northward with the time line. I wanted to set some chapters in eastern Tennessee in the area that was once the state of Franklin. My grandfather really does have a farm in Hawkins County, Tennessee, in what was once part of Franklin, and my father was born and raised there. I also knew that I wanted the book to end up in Indiana, my home state. So, I planned Cody’s family history to follow a path similar to my own. Writing coaches always say to “write what you know,” and that is what I have tried to do in this book.
As far as what is real and what is fiction, I will attempt to break that down journal by journal.
Part One—Journal of Edward Carter
The story of Edward Carter and his family is fictional. The setting is real. The description of Beaufort is accurate; Beaufort is a beautiful little seaport town and the fourth oldest town in North Carolina.
Blackbeard really did run aground off the coast of Beaufort, and he really did meet his end on Ocracoke Island, several miles north, up the coast from Beaufort. The story of Blackbeard meeting the two Edward Carters was just a flight of fancy on my part, though Blackbeard really did come into the town of Beaufort after his ship was stranded.
The Tuscarora Wars did happen as described. The attack on Edward Carter’s grandparents, while fictional, is based on many similar real-life events.
Part Two—Journal of Ethan Carter
The setting of this journal is based on real events. Daniel Boone did live in the Yadkin Valley during this part of his life. Ethan Carter is fictional, so his relationship with the Boones is just a fun story I used to introduce Daniel Boone. Boone is a fascinating character who I think does not get enough mention in most textbooks. I’ve read a lot of books that tell his amazing story, and I hoped to stir up an interest in him through these chapters. I encourage readers to read more about him and others like him—Simon Kenton, for instance, whose exploits read like superhero adventures.
The places that Boone and Ethan travel on their hunting trip are real. Pilot Mountain and the Blowing Rock are actual North Carolina landmarks. The story of how Blowing Rock was named is my interpretation of the Native American myth. The wind really does blow straight up this cliff and often returns lightweight items to people who throw them over the edge. It is known to rain and snow straight upward there.
The accounts of Daniel Boone’s service during the French and Indian War at the Battle of the Wilderness are true.
Also, we really do call dollars bucks because that was the monetary value of one deerskin on the frontier.
Part Three—Journal of Landon Carter
In parts three and four, the line between fiction and reality becomes more blurry. Landon Carter, who is a prominent figure in both his own journal and in Annabelle Carter’s, is loosely based on a real person. In researching the state of Franklin, I noticed that the speaker of the Senate’s name was Landon Carter. I saw that his father, John Carter, had been a prominent leader at Fort Watauga years earlier. It was just through dumb luck on my part that I uncovered prominent Carters in researching this part of the book, so I went with it. Although their names and positions are real, their actions and words in this book are fictional.
The story of the Treaty of Sycamore Shoals and Richard Henderson’s failed Transylvania Colony is real. The people mentioned as being in attendance, Native American and white, were really there. The speech given by Dragging Canoe is real, though slightly paraphrased. The rest of the conversations that took place come strictly from me.
The stories of the Indian attacks on Fort Watauga and other area forts are real. Dragging Canoe’s cousin, the Cherokee Beloved Woman, Nancy Ward, did warn the settlers of the attacks. John Sevier did save Bonnie Kate Sherrill and help her over the wall of the fort. Sevier was married to another woman when that happened, but after his first wife later died, he and Bonnie Kate were married.
Again, as is the case throughout the book, all the conversations contained within the real events come from my own mind, based on the characters and my research.
Part Four—Journal of Annabelle Carter
Landon Carter plays a major role in this journal as well, this time as an adult. Again, he is loosely based on the real Landon Carter. Annabelle Carter is fictional. I thought it would be fun to have one of the journals be written by a girl. I hoped it might open the door for a little comic relief for Cody to have to experience life in the person of a girl.
The story of the Battle of King’s Mountain at the beginning of Chapter 9 is true.
The story of the state of Franklin is true.
The gathering of the settlers into Fort Watauga for safety from possible attack is fictional in this instance, but is based on many such incidents that happened on a regular basis in that time period.
Part Five—Journal of Martin Carter
Martin Carter is fictional. The setting around Vincennes in the Indiana Territory is true. Of course, Governor William Henry Harrison is real and his home is called Grouseland. The description of the relationship and tension between Harrison, Tecumseh, and the Prophet is true, although somewhat simplified.
Sitting Fox is fictional. I really wanted Martin to have a Native American friend. I wanted this relationship and its tragic ending to be the reason Cody’s father, Mark, was not able to handle his own attempt at the Carter journal experience.
The story of Sitting Fox’s pa-waw-ka, while fictional in his case, is a real tradition among the Shawnee. The story of Sitting Fox’s pa-waw-ka is based on the true story of the young Tecumseh earning his. I have read the account of Tecumseh’s pa-waw-ka experience in multiple books, and it is very similar to what Sitting Fox went through in this book.
The Battle of Tippecanoe actually did happen. It helped propel Harrison to the presidency years later when he and his running mate, John Tyler, used the campaign slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too.” That battle did not end the trouble with Tecumseh, who later joined forces with the British to fight against the Americans in the War of 1812. Tecumseh was killed in 1813 while fighting in the Battle of the Thames in Canada.
Part Six—Journal of Martin Carter
I used David Carter’s fictional family to tell two stories. I wanted to write a bit about the importance of canals in the years just before the railroads became prominent in Indiana. I also wanted to bring in Indiana’s role as a key part of the Underground Railroad. I decided to set this journal in Metamora, Indiana, because of its central location on the canal and because I know it well, as it is near my hunting grounds.
The Whitewater Canal still flows through the town of Metamora and the vicinity. There was a lock at the same location as described in the book. In fact, the lock is still there, about one mile south of Metamora on US Highway 52.
I used the fictional Emily and the Morris family as a way to bring in a love interest and introduce an abolitionist family. The secretive nature of such families and their forbidden work was told in as accurate a way as I could manage. Runaway slaves occasionally were transported on canal boats. Gabriel’s travels on the canal are my own interpretation of how this may have been done.
Part Seven—Journal of Andrew Carter
This journal was a pleasant surprise for me. My original outline for the book had this journal set in Indianapolis during the Civil War, but my research took me to another place. I learned that Corydon, Indiana, was the site of one of only two battles of the Civil War fought on Northern soil, the other being Gettysburg. When I learned this, I immediately decided to shift the setting for this last journal to Corydon.
Andrew Carter is fictional, as are the other young people who were involved in the debate scene. However, their debate represented some very real sentiment. By 1863 the Civil War was very unpopular throughout the remaining parts of the Union. President Abraham Lincoln’s popularity was very low. In fact, at the time, he was certain that he would not be re-elected in 1864. Debates like the one I wrote took place in cities and towns throughout the North.
General John Hunt Morgan’s raid is real. My accounts of his raid into Indiana are based on fact. The Home Guard in the Corydon area was indeed commanded by Colonel Lewis Jordan. The accounts of the training drills of the new recruits are based on my understanding of the way Civil War soldiers were actually drilled.
The accounts of the actual battle and the subsequent capture of the Home Guard and ransacking of Corydon, including the killing of the county commissioner at the courthouse, are all based on factual events.
Glossary
Abolitionist: A person who was against slavery and who worked to bring it to an end.
Allegiance: Loyalty to a person, group, or cause.
Allowed: A slang term for assumed, as in “I allowed you’d be done by now.”
Ascent: Rising up a slope or path.
Bandoleer: A shoulder belt with pockets for carrying ammunition.
Barter: Trading goods or services without using money.
Bayonet: A long knife that attaches to the end of a rifle, used in close combat.
Blockade: The blocking of a place to prevent anyone from entering or exiting.
Booty: Items stolen in a robbery.
Bough: Tree branch.
Cacophony: A loud mixture of harsh sounds.
Cain-tuck-ee: A term used by early pioneers and Native Americans to describe what is now Kentucky.
Chevron: A shape consisting of stripes meeting at an angle, similar to a wide, flattened v-shape.
Coffer: A storage place for money and valuables.
Consumption: A term for tuberculosis.
Contingency: An event that may or may not occur.
Countenance: A person’s facial expression.
Crevasse: A deep opening or crack.
Cryptic: Secret or mysterious.
Descend: Going down a slope or path.
Desecrate: To treat a sacred place or object with disrespect.
Drawl: Speaking with drawn-out vowel sounds.
Edifice: A large, impressive structure.
Encroaching: Entering a place that is off-limits.
Felling: Cutting down, as with a tree.
Flense: The process of scraping fatty tissue from the underside of an animal hide in preparation for tanning.
Futile: Useless or hopeless.
Headwaters: The source of a stream or river.
Huzzah: An exclamation of excitement, similar to “Hooray!”
Imminent: About to happen.
Infamous: Famous for a negative reason.
Insurmountable: Unable to be overcome.
Knickers: Loose-fitting short pants, gathe
red at the knees.
Macabre: Gruesome or horrible.
Maritime: Related to the sea.
Marooned: Stranded.
Mason-Dixon Line: Originally the boundary line between Maryland and Pennsylvania, but now used figuratively to describe the dividing line between North and South.
Massa: Slang for “master,” or plantation owner.
Meandering: Wandering back and forth.
Mercantile: A store that sells general trade goods.
Moons: Native American term for months.
Muster: In the military, the act of gathering men together to sign up for military service or for examination or inspection.
Notorious: Well known for negative reasons.
Obsessive-compulsive: Term used to describe a personality that needs to have everything in perfect order.
Palisade: A high fence constructed of pointed posts.
Plagiarize: To use the work of someone else and claim it as one’s own.
Plunder: To loot or rob.
Polarizing: Something that is controversial and causes strong debate.
Prophetic: A statement that correctly predicts the future.
Protrude: Sticks out.
Provisions: Supplies.
Pungent: Having a strong odor.
Ransack: To tear up a place looking for something.
Ransom: A price paid to free someone being held captive.
Rebs: Short for Rebels, a slang term used to describe Confederate soldiers.
Regimen: A way of doing something the same way every time.