Author's note: This is a very short chapter. In fact, I'll probably end up adding more onto this in some re-write in the future. Again, my apologies for not updating soon and regularly…real life just adds more to the plate every day.

********Monday, April 13, 2015-I hope you will all tune in your televisions this morning, and in the evening to the AMC channel (yeah, "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men", that one) to the Revolutionary War drama series "Turn: Washington's Spies." Season 2 starts tonight (Monday, April 13, 2015). Anyway, beginning at 10:30am Eastern time (in the United States) today, AMC will be re-running all 10 episodes from season 1. They will end at 9Pm and the first episode (a 2 hour episode) for season 2 begins at 9pm. It is a great show! You won't be disappointed. Lots of history and nice looking gentlemen in redcoat and rebel uniforms! Be sure and get a gander at JJ Feild, who plays Major John Andre, and does so very well! It will not let me give the website address here so just search "Turn AMC" and the website come up. I think my profile page may have the website, as well. **************

Chapter 36: Another Day, Another Problem

"Come on, boy, we're nearly home," Captain Bordon spoke low as he coaxed his horse. Hugh leaned forward and gave the beast a pat on its neck.

The officer's horse, Apollo, had become inexplicably lame again, as the animal had done just a month back. The horse had recovered quickly then due to some attention from the legion's young squire named Gordie.

Bordon's mount was tottering along, wanting to stop now every ten steps or so. The commander huffed a frustrated breath as his steed limped along. He tightened the muscles in his legs against the creature's sides silently letting Apollo know to keep moving….or try, anyway.

Rather than slowing the pace of his detachment, the captain released 18 of the dragoons to ride on ahead with the evening's second officer, Lieutenant Scott. He traveled behind by nearly 20 minutes with a small guard of six privates while his mount nursed its foot.

The small guard rode on in relative quiet, broken only by their leader's occasional cajoling of his steed. And as the animal bumped and limped along, Bordon thought and fretted. With his horse lame twice in a few weeks, he knew he would have to find another mount, and that was a worry to him. Part of his duties as adjutant to Tavington meant he not only recruited and trained men, but he was in charge of finding horses for the expert cavalrymen. And with a war on, beasts of the equine persuasion were hard to come by.

The dragoon second in command was relieved to look up and see the Legion's check point on the York Road nearing. As they closed in on the picket, they could see that their fellow soldiers were acting pensive and on edge, looking eagle eyed down the road and into the surrounding woods and fields.

"Private Stephey, report," Bordon barked, frustration over his lame horse climbing into his throat.

"We heard commotion coming from the direction of the house," he answered, pointing to the lane that joined the main road. They were now less than a quarter mile from the Burwell farm. "Perkins and Dunbarton are on vedette. Perk rode up to check things out."

"Yes," Hugh answered. "Has our forward guard under Lieutenant Scott been here?"

"Aye, sir," Stephey replied. "They passed through about twenty minutes ago."

"Thank you," acknowledged, the captain. "As you were, gentleman." With that, the seven dragoons rode through and soon made the turn onto the long driveway that led up to the main house.

As they rode on, they could hear a low clamor of voices, which was out of the norm for 2am in the morning. It did not sound like any uncontrolled chaos as Private Stephey's words of "commotion at the house" had evoked. Captain Bordon breathed a sigh of relief, glad for the moment to exchange his anxiety of having to handle some problem at the house or in camp for worrying again over his lame steed.

However, as they got closer to the outbuildings, they heard the clear din of people talking…lots of people. And through the trees, they could see torchlight, which was lighting up the lawn and the structures.

Finally they made the last turn in the lane and came out of the woods. And with that, the main home was now in view. The yard was lit up by torchlight. The Burwell family servants and slaves congregated side by side on the grass with dragoons and redcoat infantrymen.

"Shit," Bordon swore under his breath. The officer, frustrated over his lame horse and tired from being on patrol for nearly 12 hours, wanted nothing more than to slip into Betsy's bed and fall asleep beside her.

He knew, as one of the leaders of the British Legion, that rest would most likely be delayed as he would probably be assigned some situation to deal with.