Captain James Bordon was tight-lipped in pain by the time he'd made it to the rear of the main forces, with Colonel Tavington and Captain Wilkins assisting him. He suppressed the urge to moan, with the only signs of his distress being the grimace on his face and his right arm hanging awkwardly by his side.
By the time the dragoons had reached the rear, the doctor and his assistants had set up an area to treat the expected wounded. Wagons lined with a layer of hay stood by, waiting to transport the wounded back to camp.
"Over here, Bordon," Tavington said, pointing to where the doctor was setting up a folding table and chairs under a hastily erected canvas canopy. "It looks as if the doctor is ready for you."
The dragoon captain rode carefully over to the medical tent, with Tavington and Wilkins still on either side of him, ready to assist if need be.
Looking up at the three dragoons, Dr Silas Carpenter looked up a Bordon's torn and bloody sleeve. "Sabre wound?"
"Yes," Bordon confirmed. "I think I also have a broken wrist from when I fell from my horse."
Motioning two of his assistants over, the doctor said, "Let us help you down from your horse, so you don't jar your injuries too much."
"Gladly," Bordon acknowledged, heaving a loud sigh.
After Dr Carpenter and his helpers had assisted Bordon in dismounting and his horse had been tied to a nearby tree, Tavington looked down at his second in command and said, "You look as if you're in good hands." Turning his horse, he continued, "We'll come check on you later after the battle."
"Go ahead," Bordon said. "I'll be fine."
After Tavington and Wilkins had ridden off to rejoin the other dragoons, the doctor led Bordon over to one of the folding chairs, indicating that he should sit.
"Now, then, Captain, let's have a look at you," Dr Carpenter said briskly, as he took a pair of scissors to Bordon's sleeve. "I need to have a closer look."
Once enough of the sleeve was cut away, the doctor warned, "This may hurt a bit."
Bordon steeled himself for the throbbing pain that commenced the moment the doctor began probing the wound. Thankfully, it did not take him long to find what he was looking for.
Looking up at the dragoon, Dr Carpenter said, "You're a very lucky man, Captain. The cut missed the main artery in your arm, as well as missing the bone. You've got some muscular damage that will require you to stay at the fort and rest for a few weeks, but you should regain full use of your arm."
Checking the wrist next, the doctor said, "Your wrist has a minor fracture. I'll put some splints on it, then put your entire arm in a sling, which will protect your injuries well enough until you can get back to the fort."
"Thank you doctor," Bordon said, as beads of sweat stood out on his forehead, more from the stress of the pain than the air temperature.
As the doctor busied himself with tying the splints to the dragoon's wrist and rummaging around for some cloth to use as a sling, James Bordon smiled to himself as he realized that his convalescent time would give him the perfect opportunity to spend time with Mary! He hoped that by the time he was fit for duty again that he would have gained Mary's heart and perhaps, her consent to marry him.
Dr Carpenter interrupted his ruminations. Holding out a small bottle of laudanum to him, he instructed, "Here. Take a small swallow now to take the edge off the pain. Be careful not to drink too much as you still want to be able to ride back to the fort."
Bordon gratefully took a small swallow, then asked, "May I keep the bottle?"
"You may," the doctor allowed. "There's not all that much left inside, but it should be the right amount to see you back to the fort, when you'll be checked over once again in the camp hospital."
As Bordon put the bottle in his pocket, the other man warned, "Be sure to dole it out in sparing doses so it will last." Before turning to attend to other soldiers slowly trickling in to the aid station, he told him, "You might as well try to get a bit of a nap. There's no telling how long the battle will last and you need to get some rest wherever you can."
Bordon staggered back to his horse, then eased himself down to sit on the ground, leaning against the tree to which his horse was tethered. He shifted position several times, thinking he'd not be able to fall asleep because of the pain, but exhaustion soon won over and he was snoring softly within a short time.
About an hour later, Ban Tarleton rode up to Tavington with an exhilarated smile on his face. "Look at 'em run, Will! I don't think I've ever seen them run any faster than I've seen them run today."
Tavington chuckled lowly as Tarleton jeered at the retreating Continentals and rebel militia. "And I hear that Gates is twenty miles ahead of his men, running as fast as his horse can carry him back to Charlotte."
Both men brayed with laughter, imagining Gates fleeing with his tail tucked between his legs.
"No wonder they lost, being led by such a craven coward!" Tavington sneered. "At least De Kalb stayed and fought and ended up paying with his life!"
"A brave man," Tarleton agreed. A moment later, he suggested, "Let's chase them down and nip at their heels at bit. In their haste to get away, I'm sure they're dumping all excess gear by the side of the road, plus I'm sure they'll not bother to collect their baggage train on the way out of here, either. We'll bring along some infantry riding double and it will be a perfect opportunity to do some plundering!"
"Right you are," Tavington readily agreed. "Sounds like a good plan."
At that moment, Wilkins rode up to survey the fleeing enemy with the two Colonels. As he reached their side, Tavington turned to him and said, "We're going to pursue the enemy to harass them a bit and see what kind of plunder we can come up with. But I want you to go back and accompany Bordon back to the fort and make sure he gets there with no problems. The General wanted me to send a few of my men to accompany and protect the wagons carrying the wounded, so I'm putting you in charge of that detail."
"Yes, sir," Wilkins said, giving a brief salute, before turning his horse to hurry to the rear to collect Bordon.
A short time later, Jim Wilkins rode up to the aid station, accompanied by several dragoons he'd handpicked for the escort detail back to the fort.
Most of the wounded had already been loaded into the waiting wagons, so Wilkins ordered the dragoons with him to get into position and be ready to move out. As they moved to obey, he spotted Bordon, still leaning against the tree, trying to doze.
Bordon opened his eyes as Wilkins dismounted, then tethered his horse to a nearby tree.
"Back already?" he said, wincing slightly in pain, as he awkwardly regained his feet by bracing himself against the tree trunk. "That didn't take long."
"Oh, you should have seen it!" Wilkins enthused. "We broke their lines with hardly any effort at all! It was practically child's play! They're all running for the hills as fast as their legs can carry them, with Gates being the first one to run!"
"I wish I could have seen it," Bordon said. "If it was anything like the initial dragoon battle, then it must have been quite a sight!" After a pause, he asked, "Where's the Colonel?"
"Oh, he and Colonel Tarleton decided to chase the retreating Continentals to see how much plunder they can gather," Wilkins told him. "He's sure their baggage train isn't too far to their rear and at the rate they were running, they won't bother to try to retrieve it. They intend to harass the running rebels as much as is practical as well to make them think twice about fighting us again."
"Too bad we're going to miss the fun, then," Bordon said ruefully.
"Quite," Wilkins agreed. "Well. Are you about ready to get going then? It looks as if the medical train is nearly ready to move out."
"I believe so," Bordon replied. "But I'll need your help in mounting again. The doctor gave me some laudanum, but warned me not to take too much of it so that I'll still be able to ride."
"Do you think you might want to ride in one of the wagons?" Wilkins asked.
Bordon shuddered visibly at the notion of that. "No, most definitely not," he said emphatically. "The wagons should be reserved for those who are severely wounded and can't walk. I don't want to take up space that could go to a man who really needed it when I am perfectly capable of riding." He didn't voice the thought that he also didn't want to be surrounded by the miasma of odour and profusion of bodily fluids and excretions typically found among the badly wounded.
"All right, then," Wilkins said slowly. Gesturing to a passing soldier, the two men helped Bordon to mount once again.
A few minutes later, the two dragoons had taken their places near the front of the column, then Wilkins gave the order to move out.
For quite awhile, the men rode in companionable silence. Bordon concentrated on his riding until he fell into a rhythm where he could manage the pain. About two miles into the journey, he took another small sip of laudanum, which helped him to relax into the saddle.
Wilkins busied himself for a short time to make sure the men were doing their duty, and sent a couple of dragoons to reconnoiter ahead and in the woods on either side of the road to make sure they weren't being shadowed by partisans. After a short time, he was fairly well satisfied that the road heading south was reasonably safe; that most rebels were rapidly heading north at the moment.
As they continued along at an easy trot, Bordon began daydreaming about Mary, imagining her fussing over him during his time of convalescence at the fort. A dreamy half-smile appeared on his face, as his imagination continued to visualize a deepening intimacy between himself and the attractive widow.
"What is it, Bordon?" Wilkins demanded, interrupting Bordon's pleasant reverie. "You look as if you've died and gone to paradise."
Bordon paused for a long moment before answering. He'd hesitated in mentioning his interest in Mary to her brother, as she'd been so recently widowed. But he knew he had to tell him some time, and he'd just been given the perfect opening. He knew the longer he waited to broach the subject, the harder it would be.
Taking a deep breath, he started, "There's a matter I've been meaning to discuss with you…"
"Go on," Wilkins urged, giving his fellow officer a curious look as their horses continued moving at a leisurely pace down the road.
"I'm quite fond of your sister," Bordon began slowly. "I'm planning on courting her if she'll have me. I certainly hope you'll give your blessing, as I have nothing but the most honourable intentions toward her."
"Well, that's hardly news to me," Wilkins said, chuckling. "It's quite apparent how you feel about Mary every time you look at her. I was wondering when you were finally going to get around to courting her."
"Am I that obvious?" Bordon asked, thinking that only he and Tavington knew of his feelings toward Wilkins' sister.
"Not to a blind man, you wouldn't be," Wilkins said, still grinning broadly. "But to everyone else, yes."
"So you don't object, then?" Bordon asked.
"Not at all," Wilkins assured him. "Normally, I would expect you to wait until she's spent a respectable amount of time in mourning, but things change in wartime." Heaving a loud sigh, he continued, "Right now, I'd prefer to see her settled with a good man who'll take care of her and Susan. A long period of mourning is a luxury she can ill afford under the circumstances."
"I'm honoured that you consider me a good enough man for Mary," Bordon said in a humble tone.
"I'd be pleased to have you as my brother-in-law," Wilkins told him earnestly "That is, of course, if Mary is interested in you, which I believe she is."
"I shall endeavour to live up to your expectations of me as a suitable husband for your sister," the other man assured him.
Late that afternoon, the medical train arrived back at the fort. Wilkins had sent a couple of dragoons ahead, so that the doctors at the fort hospital would be ready to receive their patients by the time they arrived.
As they rode through the gate behind the wagons, the woman of the fort were waiting for them, as they'd noticed the dragoons earlier who had been sent to alert the doctors. Little Susan Miller had been outside playing when the two dragoons had ridden into the fort, and had immediately ran to tell her mother, who was having tea with Charlotte Tavington.
Bordon had taken the last of the laudanum from the little bottle about two miles from the fort, so while he was ground down by the long ride, he was able to ride through the gates with his head held high.
But instead of riding to the stables where the women waited for them, they rode directly to the camp hospital. Bordon was near the end of his endurance and needed to be seen as soon as possible before he fell from his horse from sheer exhaustion.
Mary looked at Charlotte in puzzlement as the men rode right past them without stopping.
"I wonder what's wrong?" Mary asked.
"Let's go find out," Charlotte said, already walking quickly in the direction of the infirmary.
By the time they reached the two dragoons, Bordon had managed to dismount with Wilkins' help, but was leaning heavily on him as his fellow officer helped him toward the hospital.
"Where's William?" Charlotte asked Wilkins in a worried tone, standing on his other side.
"He's fine," the tall man assured her. "He went off with Tarleton's dragoons to chase the retreating rebels to see if they can capture their baggage train.
Mary was relieved when she saw that her brother was uninjured, but gasped audibly, when she saw Captain Bordon's wounded arm in a sling.
"Are you all right?" she asked, as she sidled up to him in genuine concern.
"I'll be fine," he said, giving her a grateful smile. "Nothing that some rest and companionship won't cure."
"I'd like to take care of you, if I may," Mary said, blushing delicately. "I'll make sure you never get lonely."
"I'd like that," he replied, smiling broadly. "I'm feeling better already, just being in your presence."
Charlotte and Wilkins looked at one another with wide grins, glad that this romance had begun at last.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Historical notes: General Horatio Gates did indeed desert the field ahead of his men. Riding a fast horse, he made it back the seventy-five miles to Charlotte by midnight of the same day. He was sacked for his cowardice and replaced by General Nathanael Greene.
General Johann De Kalb, a German fighting with American forces, stayed behind to fight and was killed in the battle, having been shot eleven times.
Banastre Tarleton's dragoons pursued and harassed the retreating American forces for twenty miles before breaking off the chase. After capturing Gates' baggage train, Tarleton received information about the whereabouts of Thomas Sumter and his militia. Deciding to follow the lead, he had several of his infantry ride double with his dragoons to locate Sumter. Surprising the much larger American force two days later, Tarleton gained a decisive victory. Sumter, who had been napping underneath a wagon when Tarleton's force swept into the camp and began cutting down the unprepared Americans, barely escaped with his life, riding shoeless and bareback away from Tarleton in his haste to escape.
