Civilwarstories Stories

Novella Contest 40k word maximum.

In the final, smoke-choked weeks of the American Civil War, the Siege of Petersburg stretches on, and Virginia trembles beneath relentless cannon fire. Union artillery captain Nathaniel Ward has spent nine months behind the guns, haunted by the cost of every shot, while Confederate nurse Lillian Greer tends the wounded and dying, carrying secrets even the war cannot crush. Fate brings them together once more, as the thunder of battle fades into uneasy silence. Amid crumbling fortresses and the chaos of a nation at its breaking point, loyalties are tested, love is rekindled, and the choices of a single moment could echo far beyond the battlefield. Rich with historical detail, alternating perspectives, and the raw human cost of a country torn apart, When the Cannons Fell Silent is a stirring Civil War drama about love, honor, and the fragile hope that endures even after the guns fall quiet.