Col Appletown called Capt Tanner, Lt Walker, Sgt Chesterfield, and Cpl Blutch into his office around one in the morning to talk about what to do about the wagon train of Southerners.

Col Appletown: "I don't have enough men to relieve that wagon train."

Sgt Chesterfield: "We can't just leave them out to dry."

Lt Walker: "There Rebels now, the more of them that get killed the better."

Cpl Blutch: "How can you say that Lieutenant, you used to serve with..."

Lt Walker: "That may be, but the fact is they are traitors to the Union and..."

Sgt Chesterfield: "That doesn't meant they should die by the Indians."

Lt Walker: "DON'T YOU DARE INTERRUPT ME SERGEANT, I HAPPEN TO KNOW THAT..."

Col Appletown: *Slams his fist on his desk* "ENOUGH, this arguing is pointless, Capt Tanner, I would like you to take Company B and relieve the wagon train."

Lt Walker: "But sir?"

Col Appletown: "Enough Lieutenant! You will be second in command, and Sgt Chesterfield third if anything happens to the both of you, you'll form your company and leave immediately."

Capt Tanner (Saluting): "Yes Sir." and he stepped out of the office with Lt Walker and Sgt Chesterfield behind him. "Sergeant, go wake up the men."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Right Captain." he ran over to the barracks and went to wake up the men.

An Hour Later

The entire company was assembled and mounted up and ready to go, but some of them like Sgt Cooper weren't happy about it because he wanted to leave the southerners to die.

Sgt Cooper (Under his breath): "Why do we have to help them."

Lt Walker: "QUIET IN THE RANKS!"

Capt Tanner: "Sergeant, move them out."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Yes sir." he turned his head to the rest of the company, "TWO'S RIGHT, AT THE GALLOP, YO!" The entire company rode out of the fort, most were glad to help their former comrades in arms again, but the ones like Sgt Cooper didn't want anything to do with it. They rode all of the night and arrived near the wagons a few minutes before dawn, but the indians surrounded the circled wagons to ensure no one got away.

Capt Tanner: "Well, we can't just ride down there."

Sgt Chesterfield: "There has to be a weak spot where there's only one guard."

Capt Tanner: "Do you think you can find it?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "I can try, I'll need the help of Cpl Blutch though."

Cpl Blutch (Spitting out water he was drinking from canteen): "Huh, ME?!"

Sgt Chesterfield (Smirking): "Yes, you Corporal."

They both dismounted and took their sabers out of their scabbards and handed the scabbards to Sgt Cooper so they could stay quiet while they went to make contact with the Southerners surrounded by Sioux warriors. They moved silently through the small shrubs and bushes, they spotted an Indian sentry and Sgt Chesterfield tightened his grip on his saber and quietly approached him, Sgt Chesterfield raised his saber and slashed the Indian in his back killing him.

Cpl Blutch (Whispering): "Yeesh, that was brutal."

Sgt Chesterfield (Whispering): "I know, but we have to keep moving." They continue on towards the wagons, Mr Caswell was checking the sentries that were on duty for suprise attacks when he heard some rustling in the bushes.

Mr Caswell (Whispering): "HALT, who goes there?"

Cpl Blutch (Whispering): "It's not Chief Red Cloud."

Caswell was ecstatic with joy in seeing Cpl Blutch and Sgt CHesterfield, he brought them over to the others who greeted openly, even Mr Slocum.

Mr Slocum: "Boy are we glad to see you."

Sgt Chesterfield: "We're glad to see you all are alright."

Tripps: "Are there more troopers coming?"

Sgt Chesterfield: "Blutch will go bring them back here, we have a chance to defeat Fire Bear here, that he won't attack a wagon train again, for a while at least."

By dawn the men of Company B and the Southern sympathizers had made a better defensive position to hold off against Fire Bear's attack, they were ready to hold until the world froze over.

Capt Tanner: "Well Mr Carpenter, this is our last engagement against Fire Bear together."

Mr Carpenter: "Yes sir, say, thanks for coming, I'm even surprised that Walker decided to come along."

Capt Tanner (Chuckling): "If he didn't, he'd be in the guardhouse, escorted by the Colonel himself." Both of them laughed, just then, they heard the yelling and whooping of almost 100 Sioux Warriors, but they were ready for a fight.

The warriors came from all sides, but they only intended on massacring the Southerners, they never imagined the United States Cavalry coming to the rescue of their soon to be enemy. Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch were on one side of the en-circled wagons with their part of the command of both Cavalry Troopers and Southerners, while Capt Tanner, Lt Walker and Mr Carpenter were on the other side, they waited until they could see the whites of the Indian's bloodshot eyes, they had to be at least 50 feet away before Capt Tanner gave the order.

Capt Tanner: "OPEN FIRE!"

The Troopers and Southerners fell in quick succession and the Indians dropped like flies that had just been swatted away, but they didn't leave as easily as flies, the Indians got in close to use their old muskets and Bows, but with the army issued Sharps Carbines they were armed with, they kept firing into many indians still approaching them. Soon enough, the Indians broke off and the Southerners and Trooper put down their weapons for a moment to wipe the sweat off their faces.

Cpl Blutch: "Well, we beat them back."

Sgt Chesterfield: "For a while at least." Just then, Tripps ran up to them.

Tripps: "Hey fellas."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Hi there Tripps."

Tripps: "I need to tell you something."

Cpl Blutch: "What is it?"

Tripps: "I'm gonna re-enlist in the cavalry."

Cpl Blutch (Surprised): "I thought you were gonna fight for your home state?"

Tripps: "I figured that now, my country needs me fighting on the frontier."

Sgt Chesterfield: "Well, we're glad to hear it."

Just then the Sioux started attacking again, but this time they were stronger than before and attacked more viciously, the Indians broke though the barricades and started in hand to hand fighting with the Troopers and southerners. Trooper Randall was firing on the indians mounted on their ponies outside the en-circled wagons, when an Indian with a lance lunged at him.

Mr Caswell: "RANDALL, LOOK OUT!"

He tackled the Indian and Randall shot the Sioux Warrior in the gut, the Indian numbers were dwindling and the Warriors were starting to break off and make a run for it the Troopers and Southerners watched as they Sioux ran for it, but they had casualties of their own. Mr Carpenter was killed in the action, Tripps got wounded in the arm, and some of the Troopers were grazed. Capt Tanner decided to make an announcement to the Southerners and to his own troops.

Capt Tanner: "Men, Fire Bear will be licken his wounds for weeks, now I'm gonna give you a choice, you can continue on, or re-enlist, the choice is still yours."

Tripps: "I'll re-enlist sir, I feel like I will be needed on the frontier."

Capt Tanner: "Good, anyone else?"

No one else spoke, until Mr Slocum started to speak up.

Mr Slocum: "Tank you sir, but I think we should continue on south."

Capt Tanner: "Alright, good luck."

Mr Slocum: "Thank you sir."

That evening before Nightfall

The men of Company B of the 22nd United States Cavalry were just in sight of the fort, their wounds had been treated and were riding back to the fort with a triumphant victory under their belts. Soon Sgt Chesterfield and Cpl Blutch would be sent east to fight the war between the states, and it was going to be a long and bloody war, but that's a story for next time.