Devistation
After Vicksburg had fallen in early July, Will’s company was back to its usual routine: travel around a bit, encamp, engage the enemy, repeat. Though there were no major battles, there were plenty of skirmishes and plenty of opportunity to get shot. His enlistment would be up on September 1, and should he choose to do so, he could go home. Back to Missouri—back to his sister and to Cordia. Though he longed for the familiarity of home and the peace it would bring, he could not help but feel that he had not yet found atonement for his brother’s death. As long as even one Rebel stood against the Union, he found it hard to leave the war effort.
And, yet, he knew Julia was not doing well. His sister did not write as much as she used to, and when she did, the correspondence was not as long. Clearly, she was struggling. Cordia did not mention her as often, which led him to believe she was not able to visit as frequently, probably due to Julia’s illness. His Aunt Margaret also avoided the subject of Julia, which led Will to the conclusion that she must be fairly ill.
It had been a few weeks since he had received a letter from Cordia, so when the mail carrier stopped him on his way back to his tent, the late August sun beating down upon him, he was certain this letter must be from her. But it was not. Since it was from his Aunt Margaret, he was not as hurried to read it and placed it in his pocket to look at later.
It wasn’t until much later that evening that he pulled the letter out to read it by the light of a kerosene lantern. As he read the later portion of the letter, the devastating news almost overwhelmed him, and it became extremely difficult to control himself and not to have an emotional outburst in front of his entire company.
August 8, 1863
Dear Will,
I hope you are doing well. I know it is intolerable hot out there, and I can’t imagine what it must be like, walking around in those wool uniforms, carrying everything you own, with the threat of engaging the enemy around every corner. I pray that you are doing well and that the Lord walks beside you wherever you journey.
Your Uncle has finished planting the west fields, and they will be ready for harvest before too long. It took all three boys a’helping him this time around. They are getting so big and strong. It’s hard to believe that Zachariah is now old enough to enlist. Of course, I will not allow him to do so. Still, he has become a strong young man, much like his older brother, and I am very proud of him in so many ways. The younger two boys look up to him and try to be like their older brothers, and I find it amusing to see them strut around as if they were grown men. They miss you very much and send their love.
Julia longs to see you. She is doing her best to hang in there and stay strong, but she is having a difficult time of it these past few months. I know that seeing your face would do her well. If there is a way that you could come, even just for a bit, before you re-enlist, if that is your plan, I hope that you will consider it. I know how important this war is to you, but I hope you will remember your poor baby sister at home who is alone and ill. She would find great strength in seeing you again.
On a lighter note, Jaris’s other cousin, Carey, has become engaged to be married recently. I find it a bit trying that he will be marrying Miss Cordia Pike, Jaris’s previous flame, though I am very happy to have Cordia in our family at last. Still, I can’t help but think of what might have been. But I guess that’s what any mother would be thinking. Cordia is a fine young woman, and Carey is lucky to have her. He is also doing extremely well as commander of the city guard, despite losing his arm in battle. I hope that, should you choose to return here, you may have the opportunity to get to know him better as I am sure the two of you could be very good friends.
Well, I suppose this letter is long enough for now. I hope that you are well and that we will see you soon. You know you are always welcome in our home for as long as you may need to stay.
All of my love,
Aunt Margaret
Will took a deep breath and lay back on the one tattered blanket he owned. He read and re-read that paragraph so many times, not believing he could possibly be seeing it correctly. He felt as if he had been punched in the stomach, and it took him several hours before he could even respond to his bunkmates, who could plainly see something was wrong. He was finally able to assure them that everything was fine, and he just wasn’t feeling well. He certainly could not tell them that his fiancée had moved on since no one had any idea he even had a sweetheart waiting for him at home.
The next day, Will woke up early with a new resolve. Despite feeling as if his entire world had crumbled around him, Will had to find a way to go on. He knew he must simply put Cordia out of his mind. He had no earthly idea how she could possibly do such a thing to him. He was under the impression that she loathed Carey Adams, and now she was engaged to marry him without so much as a letter to let him know she was no longer interested in being his wife. And yet, a small part of him felt that, perhaps, he should have seen this coming. After all, wouldn’t Jaris have found himself in a similar position should he still be alive?
Even though he never wanted to see Cordia Pike again, he knew what he needed to do. If Julia was so sick that his aunt was asking him to come home, he had to make arrangements to do so. As much as he wanted to stay and see this bloody war to the end, now may be his only opportunity for years to take advantage of his freedom. His colonel had been asking him for weeks what he intended to do, and now he knew for sure. He needed to return to Julia as quickly as possible. As soon as the other men were stirring about, he made his way over to his colonel’s tent to inform him of the decision he had made.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
