I looked around at all the smiling faces of the union army, as I heard them screaming with delight. It was 1865. We had won the war. I spotted my brother, Tom, some distance away, and I rushed over to him. I tapped him on the shoulder to let him know I was here, and he turned around.
"Oh Lawrence." He said as a smile came to his face. "We won. Now we can go back home to our family and live a normal life again, just as we used to before the war, in 1860. There will be no rivialy between us and people down south. The people along the coast will be able to live in peace once again, and many lives will be spared. Oh Lawrence, I'm glad the rebels finally realized what our army has been trying to tell them for over five years."
"Yes, Tom." I told my brother. "I'm excited too. Come on. Let's go home." The two brothers walked away from the excitement toward the place where they have wanted to go for years, home.
"Knock! Knock!" I knocked at the door of which I called home. I had parted with Tom alittle while before because he had gone home to his own family at a house a couple blocks away. Now, when I knocked my wife opened the door hurridly, excited about who it must be. Her prediction was correct, I could tell, because her mouth grew into the biggest smile I had ever seen. Yes, I had written to her, but it wasn't the same as seening her beautiful face. I gave her a warm smile back. I asked, "Where are the children?" But before she could answer the two children came running into the room. After I had given my wife a long hug and kiss. I lifted my children up into my arms. It was a very exciting moment for all four of us. I then sat down in a large, fluffy arm chair and started telling the story of my adventorous life during the war. I had told most of this in letters, but I decided to tell my long story again just to make sure my family knew all the details.
I paused at the point where I reached the Battle of Petersburg, because I wanted my family to know my excitement of being promoted. "After I was in the hostipal after my battle wound at Petersburg, they promoted me to a general. It was a very exciting moment for me, as I have already told you. Before that Tom had been promoted to a captain. I don't know if he told you about that. He'll probably come over in the next couple days. He just wants to tell his immediate family first, as do I."
In a couple of days, my prediction proved correct. My brother Tom came to my house to tell his story to my family. We all listened intently as he told about his version of the war.
The wounds from Petersburg surprisenly didn't kill me untill I reached an old age, 50 years later. This unfortunate event happened in the year of 1914. I lived to the age of 83.