Haven't posted for over a month but thought I'd give it a try. All "guest" reviews, positive or negative will be deleted.
Home Again
Lieutenant Teagarden stood at the open tent flaps. Captain Cartwright sat in a camp chair, examining various maps spread on a small table, the lone lantern hanging from the ridge pole, casting a halo.
"Excuse me, sir, but this just arrived. Corporal from G Company delivered it." Captain Cartwright motioned, and the lieutenant stepped inside. The captain stood up to take the wire.
"Should I go, sir?"
"No. Wait until I read it. And help yourself to coffee."
"Thank you, sir." The lieutenant went over to the small stove, picked up the pot and poured himself a mug, the aroma taking him back to his wife's kitchen in the early morning hours. Then he turned to watch his captain read the communiqué.
Flipping open the top of his lap desk that sat on an upended trunk, Captain Adam Cartwright took out a bronze letter opener and slit the envelope, then pulled out the familiar yellow paper. He read it, his brow furrowed, not breathing. He read the wire a second time, then let out a shuddering breath before he pulled himself up straight.
"What is it, sir … if I may ask…" The lieutenant knew he had overstepped, but Captain Cartwright often forgave such lapses in protocol, shrugging them off as not worthy of reprimand.
"We have new orders."
"I assume they're …risky." The lieutenant's heart was pounding; why else would the captain have reacted that way? Lt. Teagarden had been under Captain Cartwright's command for the past three years and the captain had seen him and the rest of the squadron through danger, behaving bravely and he was always in control of himself. But Teagarden had just witnessed a flash of emotion as brief as a firefly's light.
"We're to join General Pritchard's brigade in Macon and assist in arresting Jefferson Davis."
"Arrest Jefferson Davis?" The lieutenant was stunned. True, they had been set in the field a peaceful two weeks and everyone was on edge anticipating what may come next, but this, to arrest Jefferson Davis, the leader of the Confederacy… it seemed incredulous.
"Yes. He's to be arrested. Yesterday, General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox. Richmond is ours and all that's left is the cleaning up. I'll announce our orders in the morning – let the men have a full night's sleep first. And Lieutenant, don't reveal Lee's surrender. That's an order."
"Yes, sir, but … doesn't his surrendering mean the war is over?" His heart was thumping, pounding in his chest. The war was over – it was over. What was the captain doing talking about orders, about packing up and heading for Macon when the war was over? They should wake everyone in the encampment, shout the news, celebrate, whooping and yahooing.
'Strictly speaking, yes."
"Permission to speak freely, sir." The lieutenant put down the coffee mug and watched the still, calm face of Captain Cartwright. But it wasn't still; his jaw muscles worked and a vein in his temple throbbed in time with his heartbeat.
"Permission granted. Go ahead, Lieutenant."
All formality left Teagarden and his face became animated as he leaned toward the dark-haired captain. "We could all be going home now, sir. The war's over. We could be on our way to our parents, wives, children. I have two boys who probably don't even remember my face. Would anyone miss us if we never joined General Pritchard's brigade? Would they care – would they even know if you just released us all?"
"We have orders, Lieutenant, and our job is to follow them."
"But, sir…"
"Where are we, Lieutenant?"
"Sir?"
"Where are we?"
"North Georgia, sir."
"That's right. Now let me ask you something. With whom have we been skirmishing over the past month?"
"Groups of Confederates, sir."
"That's right - small, splintered groups of Confederates who are basically on their own. Do you think they've received a communiqué telling them Lee surrendered?"
The Lieutenant looked sheepish. "No, sir. I wouldn't think so."
"That's right. To many soldiers, we're still enemies; they don't know we're now countrymen. And we have orders. Remember what I said – keep the news to yourself. We'll move out in the morning."
"Yes, sir." The lieutenant promptly stood at attention; the moment of informality had passed.
"Dismissed."
"Thank you, sir." The lieutenant saluted and Captain Cartwright responded. The lieutenant sharply pivoted and left the tent.
It was a calm, cool, spring night and Captain Cartwright stood at the opening of his tent. The war was over. It was over. All the enemy he had killed, all those men he had lost – over a third of his command, had died for this – peace and reconciliation. But as Teagarden had said, they could all be going home - tonight or in the morning, each soldier could just pack up and leave on his separate path to his home. But, the captain reminded himself, he had orders to follow, had to march his command into Macon and assist General Pritchard. Those were his orders.
He closed his eyes in weariness, feeling the night breeze play across his face, as welcome as a lover's touch. And then the odor of pine, that sharp, pungent odor, filled his head. And for one fleeting moment, he wasn't Captain Cartwright of the Union Army, he was Adam Cartwright sitting on the front porch of the Ponderosa and smelling the familiar odor of Ponderosa pines. He was back home, back with his two brothers and father, laughing and joking - happy. A gentle smile played about his lips.
He opened his eyes and like a mist, his home had disappeared and he was back in his tent looking at the blackness of the midnight sky above the tall Georgia pines. And his yearning for home clutched his throat and almost strangled him.
~ Finis ~