A.N. The last chapter was as hard to write as it was to read… In canon, Scarlett flees Atlanta in the middle of the siege, is abandoned by Rhett and arrives home to find her mother dead, her father out of his mind with grief, her sisters are deathly ill, she shoots a Yankee soldier and struggles to ensure the survival of a dozen or so people… Rhett's preparations and Ellen's presence will definitely help Scarlett but the actions of Sherman and his army left a legacy of bitterness for generations of southerners. I couldn't ignore that.
This chapter, the last before we return to Atlanta, was bittersweet as you will soon read, although I suspect some of you were expecting it… I can promise you that Ellen and Melanie will survive the war and this story.
By the way the baby's name means strong and brave...
I'd like to thank all of the delightful readers out there, especially Livisa, NaomiBlue, Truckee Gal, kanga85, EmmaElizaRose, Sprout76, Another Guest, Chris OHB, desperateseeker, gabyhyatt, TinkStar87, MissTricey, whoknows3 [who should really be studying for finals ;)] and Guest 1, 2, 3, & 4. You have no idea how much I look forward to reading your reviews and pms. Thank you to everyone who has favorited or followed this story this week.
Any and all feedback would be appreciated so please read and review. Thanks!
Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine. Without Margaret Mitchell, this work would not exist. I do not own any part of Gone With The Wind and no money is being made from this story.
Chapter Twenty-One: A Bittersweet Visit
When the Yankees came through Clayton County a second time in the late fall, those lucky enough to escape their wrath the first time were not spared. The Tarleton home and the Monroe house were plundered and torched to the ground. The Tarleton's had no choice but to move into their overseer's house. Only the stucco wing of Mimosa remained and no food was left on the Calvert's property although the house was once again spared.
The Yankees barely paused at Tara as it was evident that they had already passed through. No one left the crowded overseer's house until the following day when they were sure there would be no soldiers.
Life at Tara had become increasingly difficult and bleak as the winter months approached. The only food available was that left by Rhett and anything that had been scavenged since the summer; everything else had been discovered. At the time Scarlett had thought that Rhett had overdone it but now she realized that he had saved them. As she placed her hand on her stomach over their quickly growing child, she quietly thanked him.
Scarlett did not think that she would ever be able to eat rabbit or catfish again in her life. Pork's hunting and fishing had kept them from starving when the food ran low but Scarlett couldn't help but fantasize about all the foods she had enjoyed prior to the war. She was tired of dried peas and she didn't think she could eat another yam or apple. She wanted real sugar in place of the sorghum they had been forced to use.
Christmas at Tara, silently acknowledge by all the adults, would be a somber time. The day before Christmas, as they were sitting in the crowded home trying to keep warm, they heard horses hooves. Ever alert, Ellen peered out the window and saw Frank Kennedy, followed by a small troop of men, approaching from what had once been the big house.
Ellen instantly went out to meet them and Scarlett, Melanie, and her sisters soon followed.
"Mr. Kennedy. It's so good of you to come and see us," Ellen greeted the men. "Merry Christmas!"
Frank looked around and it seemed like he wanted to speak but couldn't. Scarlett watched him glance quickly at Suellen and then return his focus to her mother.
"They burned the house back in September just before Atlanta fell, or so we've been told," Ellen explained. "They destroyed Twelve Oaks as well. Many of the other homes in the area were destroyed last month."
Frank looked at the group of women before him. "Where's Captain Butler? Surely, he would have-"
"My husband enlisted in the army some time ago," Scarlett interrupted. There was no mistaking the look of shock on Frank's face.
Ever the hostess, Ellen invited the men to stay, but the slave cabins were the only shelter they could be offered. Frank admitted that the cabins would be luxurious in comparison to the many nights spent out in the open. Despite their ragged appearances the men talked, laughed and complimented the women. It was very clear to Scarlett that Frank was still taken by Suellen. Scarlett inwardly laughed at the fact that she had been married twice and Frank was still courting her sister. The man moved slower than a tortoise. It made her smile to see her mother keep a watchful eye on her middle daughter.
While Pork kept an eye on the men who had accompanied Frank Kennedy, Frank sat down with Ellen, Scarlett, Melanie, Suellen, and Carreen.
"Mr. Kennedy, have you some news for us?" Ellen asked, working to maintain her usual veneer of calm.
Since her departure from Atlanta with Rhett, Scarlett and her family had heard very little about what was occurring outside of Clayton County. Bits of information reached them, but not enough for them to truly understand what was going on.
"I'm sure you heard that Sherman took Atlanta at the beginning of September," Frank began.
They had heard that much from one of their neighbors. What they had not been told, but which Frank shared with them, was that many of the three thousand or so civilians that had remained in the city had been evacuated by the ruthless Yankees. Many were dumped on the road to Rough and Ready and General Hood had been told to come and get them. There had been many deaths. For a moment, Scarlett caught Melanie's eye. There were both relieved that they had not stayed in Atlanta.
"Then just last month, he set out from Atlanta again. We were told he was heading to either Macon or Augusta." Frank paused and Scarlett heard the bitterness in his voice. "We were wrong. Sherman reached Savannah a few weeks ago. Savannah has by now either fallen or is about to."
That march from Atlanta, Scarlett guessed, had presumably coincided with the return of the Yankee soldiers to Clayton County the month before. Frank failed to mention to the women the devastation that Sherman's march had caused. They would have been shocked to see the city of Atlanta engulfed in flames when the Yankees began their march. Throughout Georgia, private homes, warehouses, depots, and churches had all been destroyed. Horses and mules were taken as well as any other livestock that could sustain the Yankee soldiers. Orders were given not to enter private residences however that was not the experience of most Georgians. Looting, pillaging, foraging, and burning of personal property was the reality. Cotton was torched and railroads were destroyed. It would be some time before it was discovered that the richest areas had been targeted and that much of the state was untouched by the war. What no one would know for some time was that the treatment of Georgia was nothing in comparison to the fate that would meet South Carolina.
"So Macon was spared?" Scarlett asked, thinking that there must be supplies and food in Macon. If only they could somehow get there, they would have enough until Rhett returned.
"For the most part," Frank confirmed. "And people are just now returning to Atlanta."
"Why would they go back?" Suellen asked. "Won't the Yankees come back this way?"
"No, Miss Suellen, they won't. My guess is that their target is now Richmond or Charleston," Frank said. Scarlett immediately thought of her mother-in-law and Rosemary. She was certain that Rhett had attempted to make arrangements for his mother, just as he had at Tara. Her only concern was whether Rhett's father would have conceded to allowing his son to help.
"Have you been to Atlanta, Mr. Kennedy?" Ellen asked.
"Yes. Much of it is gone but our army has retaken it."
"What about the warehouse by the depot?" Scarlett asked.
Frank shook his head. The property that Charles had left for Scarlett and Wade was gone. "But Miss Hamilton's house is still there."
"How is that possible?" Melanie asked, clearly shocked.
"Most likely because it's made of brick and slate and didn't burn. She was overjoyed when I saw her last week in Macon. She is thinking of returning soon. She'll probably bring India and Honey to town with her." Frank explained. "A lot of people have already returned. Just before I left Atlanta I spoke with Mrs. Meade and Mrs. Merriwether who have both gone back."
"Perhaps we should consider going to Atlanta as well, Mother," Scarlett started. The close living quarters with five women, two children, and four house servants were suffocating.
"Has there been any news about Ashley?" Melanie stuttered, breaking Scarlett's train of thought.
"No. I'm sorry Mrs. Wilkes. I heard he was at Rock Island from Miss Hamilton. I'll see what I can find out but it's going to be difficult."
"Mr. Kennedy, have you seen Pa or Mr. Wilkes?" Scarlett asked the question she knew her mother was too afraid to ask. For a few moments, Frank was quiet.
"I'm sorry Mrs. O'Hara." Frank hesitated and then looked away. "I was told by Henry Hamilton that they both fell at Kennesaw."
Without saying a word or looking at anyone, Ellen rose from her chair and hurried out of the cabin. Scarlett felt the tears stung her eyes. It was hard to believe that he had been gone for almost six months and they were just now hearing about it. Suddenly, she wanted to get far away from Tara. This had been her father's dream and now both he and the plantation that he had labored for were gone forever.
Carreen went to sit quietly in a corner to pray while Suellen and Frank sat inside quietly talking. Scarlett stood at the window and watched her mother walk through the fields until she was a tiny speck on the horizon.
Scarlett sat by herself thinking about Rhett and wondering where he was and if he was still alive. As she rested her hands on the stomach Scarlett felt the baby move and missed Rhett desperately. She wanted him to be here for this. Would she ever see him again? Would he meet his child? Would there be any more children?
Before Frank Kennedy's departure from Tara, he sat down with Ellen and talked with her about Suellen. As soon as the war was over, he would return to marry Suellen, if Ellen would allow him to. Scarlett sat beside her mother as she agreed to Frank's request with almost no emotion.
When both her parents had been at Tara, Scarlett had not hesitated to call it home despite the fact that she had not lived there permanently for quite some time. But with her father dead and Tara burned to the ground, Scarlett wanted nothing more than to leave. The war and her advanced pregnancy stopped her.
The news of her father's death had impacted her mother in a way Scarlett had not foreseen. She thought back to the conversation she had had with her mother regarding Phillipe and her marriage to her father. Her mother had been quiet and withdrawn since that horrible morning when Frank Kennedy had broken the news of Gerald's fate. She did not laugh and no emotion reached her eyes. Ellen spent quite a bit of her time alone, walking the ruined cotton fields of Tara.
With her hand firmly rested on her protruding stomach, Scarlett looked out the window of the overseer's house and saw her mother talking to someone. When Scarlett shifted her body to see who her mother was speaking to, she saw that there was no one there. Throwing a shawl around her shoulders to ward against the cold, Scarlett went outside.
"Mother?" Scarlett asked quietly. "Who are you talking to?"
Ellen turned her head and looked at her daughter. "Your father," she said simply.
Scarlett felt a sinking in her stomach as her eyes filled with tears. She wasn't quite sure how to respond. Surely her mother understood that Gerald was gone and wouldn't ever return. Scarlett sometimes found herself talking to Rhett late at night when she stroked her growing stomach or when she was alone and missed him, but surely that was different. Rhett was alive. Her father was not.
"I wish I had taken the time to know your father better. He was a good man and I spent most of our marriage in love with the memory of another man. I was so selfish."
Her mother was the most unselfish person Scarlett had ever known. She wasn't sure what to say to her mother and then suddenly realized nothing she could say would ever be adequate. Scarlett reached over and grasping her mother's hand, squeezed tightly. Her mother did not return the gesture.
Just after Christmas and the conversation with Frank Kennedy, Ellen and Scarlett discussed their next steps. They wouldn't know it at the time, but the war would be over within four months. Their only concern in the cold, dreary winter months had been survival. Using some of the money that Rhett had hidden, Pork left for Macon to purchase enough supplies to see them through until the end of the summer. Ellen and Scarlett were worried that Pork might be captured along the way or robbed of their supplies by other desperate Southerners. Rhett's foresight had saved their lives and ensured their survival with some comfort. Other Southerners were not so lucky.
When Pork returned five weeks later with a 'new' wagon full of food and supplies, everyone was relieved. Ellen distributed some of the supplies to the Tarleton, Calvert, and Fontaine families. There were enough foodstuffs to get them through the next few months. The wagon was loaded with bags of rice, flour, vegetables, and even some chickens.
Cottonseed, for spring planting, was purchased by Pork while he was in Macon but not for the Tara plantation. Ellen had no desire or inclination to rebuild Tara. That had been Gerald O'Hara's dream. Scarlett soon realized that her mother would never again be happy in Clayton Country. There was nothing here for her. Her husband was dead and her home had been destroyed by the Yankees. There were too many memories for her and the ghosts of her previous life were too much for her to bear.
Things were no better for Ellen when at the beginning of April, with very little fuss, Scarlett gave birth to her second child. Both mother and child were healthy after a relatively short and uneventful labor. Melanie exclaimed that little Everett Gerald was a little miniature of his father. Ellen quietly looked at her second grandson and a faint smile crossed her face.
Scarlett looked down at the beautiful boy feeding at her breast and wished, yet again, that Rhett was there to meet his son. There was guilt that after Wade's birth she had felt disdain and that Everett brought her overwhelming joy. She watched him with a mixture of awe and amazement. His wail after being born was so strong and healthy, and she tried to imagine what Rhett's reaction would have been.
The terms of surrender were accepted on April 9, 1865, by General Robert E. Lee. After four years the guns finally fell silent. The inhabitants of the former Tara Plantation would not find out for several more weeks that the war that had cost them so much was over.