Within the world of Dead Dreamer, there are three spirits who haunt the home of Brenna Whit. She is not afraid of them. Actually, she is rather annoyed by them. They’ve been in her home for as long as she can remember, and yet now that she can enter the Fade, they want nothing to do with her. She grew up with the stories her sister, Sam, told her of the pranks they would play. Brenna assumed they would want to speak with her. But she was wrong.
But where did they come from? Why have they been in her house for so long? Well, it has to do with where and how they died. Being spirits of war, these three gentlemen were casualties of the battle that ravaged the land for seven days back in the 1800’s. They were part of the Seven Days Battle during the American Civil War.
The Seven Days Battle was a series of six battles that occurred from June 25 – July 1, 1862, near Richmond, Virginia. One of the battles trailed along Brenna’s family property, which is fairly large. Within the swamps, many soldiers fell. There were roughly over 15,000 casualties/losses. It was surprising to not have more spirits haunting her lands from these battles.
The battle began when Major George B. McClellan decided to try and take Richmond away from the control of General Robert E. Lee.
According to Wikipedia:
“The Seven Days began on Wednesday, June 25, 1862, with a Union attack in the minor Battle of Oak Grove, but McClellan quickly lost the initiative as Lee began a series of attacks at Beaver Dam Creek (Mechanicsville) on June 26, Gaines’s Mill on June 27, the minor actions at Garnett’s and Golding’s Farm on June 27 and 28, and the attack on the Union rear guard at Savage’s Station on June 29. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac continued its retreat toward the safety of Harrison’s Landing on the James River. Lee’s final opportunity to intercept the Union Army was at the Battle of Glendale on June 30, but poorly executed orders and the delay of Stonewall Jackson‘s troops allowed his enemy to escape to a strong defensive position on Malvern Hill. At the Battle of Malvern Hill on July 1, Lee launched futile frontal assaults and suffered heavy casualties in the face of strong infantry and artillery defenses.
The Seven Days ended with McClellan’s army in relative safety next to the James River, having suffered almost 16,000 casualties during the retreat. Lee’s army, which had been on the offensive during the Seven Days, lost over 20,000. As Lee became convinced that McClellan would not resume his threat against Richmond, he moved north for the Northern Virginia Campaign and the Maryland Campaign.”
Brenna encounters casualties of these battles within her childhood home frequently. They choose to avoid her, and not have anything to do with her. Brenna believes it is because she’s only half dead, and allowed to live normally when awake. As if they were jealous of her abilities and her life.
If only it were that simple…
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