When I started writing Lost in the Storm, I
searched for an Ohio regiment from Northeast Ohio that was present at the
Battle of Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. I found the Ohio
Seventh Volunteer Regiment fit both criteria. When I researched them further, I
fell in love with them.
The Ohio Seventh enlisted as soon as the Civil War
began for a three-year term. During their tenure, they fought in many major
battles including Gettysburg, Cedar Mountain, Lookout Mountain, Missionary
Ridge, and Missionary Ridge. They are considered by many historians as the most
heroic regiment.
The Ohio Seventh was sometimes called the Rooster
Regiment because, when they went into battle, they crowed like roosters. They
were also known for their temperance. The leader, Colonel Creighton, was a
Christian and didn’t allowing drinking, gambling, or soliciting prostitutes
among the ranks. I included many of the officers, including Colonel Creighton
and Lieutenant Colonel Crane in my novel, Lost in the Storm.
One company of the regiment came from Oberlin
College. Oberlin was known for its abolitionist views and religious fervor.
Charles Finney, the president of the college, had been one of the preachers of
the Second Great Awakening. Because most of the regiment strived to live
Christian lives even in the midst of war, they were also sometimes called the
Praying Regiment.
Even with all their victories, the regiment came
home after three years feeling defeated. Their last major battle, Ringgold Gap,
was their worst. After two days of victories in Lookout Mountain and Missionary
Ridge, the Seventh was ordered to chase the Confederate soldiers to Ringgold
Gap. The Confederates stopped running and set up an ambush.
Many were killed in the last battle including
Colonel Creighton, their leader. Colonel Creighton died while trying to rescue
Lieutenant-Colonel Crane, the man who had been his close friend. Both men died.
When the battle was over, every officer in the regiment except four were
wounded or killed along with many enlisted men. Colonel Creighton, who was
loved by his men, left a young widow he had married a few days before the war.
Very few of the men who were left reenlisted.
When I wrote Lost in the Storm, I wanted to
show the horrors of war and the decisions the men had to make that weighed on
them for many years through the eyes of a woman journalist, Lavena Falcon. When
I finished writing it, I realized God had His own plans. The novel is about
God’s grace, forgiveness, and mercy in extraordinarily difficult times.
Book Blurb:
Lost in the Storm
Ladies of Oberlin Book 2
Will
war bring them love or will they be Lost in the Storm!
Lavena,
a journalist during the Civil War, wants to become a war correspondent. She
finally gets her chance, but there’s a catch. She has to get an interview from
a war hero who has refused to tell his story to every other journalist, and she
has to accomplish this impossible task in a month or she’ll lose her job.
Captain
Cage, the war hero, has a secret that will destroy his military career and
reputation. Now, a new journalist is trying to get him to tell what he’s been
hiding. He wants to ignore her, but from the moment she came into camp, he
can’t get her out of his mind.
Leading
up to the turbulent Battles for the city of Chattanooga, will Lavena and Cage
find the courage to love and forgive, or will they be swept away by their past
mistakes that don’t want to stay buried?
Meet
the Ladies of Oberlin, the causes they're willing to fight for, and the men who
capture their hearts..
Available
in eBook and paperback at Mt Zion Ridge Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and
other online retailers.
Bio:
Award winning author Tamera Lynn Kraft has always loved adventures.
She loves to write historical fiction set in the United States because there
are so many stories in American history. There are strong elements of faith,
romance, suspense and adventure in her stories. Some of the novels she has
written are Red Sky Over America, Alice’s Notions, and Lost in
the Storm. You can check Tamera out on her website at http://tameralynnkraft.net.
Tamera been married for 40 years to the love of her
life, Rick, and has two married adult children and three grandchildren. She has been a children’s pastor for over 20 years.
She is the leader of a ministry called Revival Fire for Kids where she mentors
other children’s leaders, teaches workshops, and is a children’s ministry
consultant and children’s evangelist and has written children’s church
curriculum. She is a recipient of the 2007 National Children’s Leaders
Association Shepherd’s Cup for lifetime achievement in children’s ministry.
Online
Links:
1 comment:
I enjoyed the history behind Lost in the Storm book. This was a winsome read.
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