Yes. Yes, look who is back in style.

I'm so sorry for taking this long to update Divided. I kinda lost motivation, and when I regained it back in July, I couldn't figure out how to write everything down properly. But...yes, here I am. I hope this chapter is up to par. It has a battle, obviously, and I'm no good when it comes to writing battle sequences.

I probably wouldn't have finished this chapter as quickly as I did (I only started it the other day) without the help of two of my friends- AlazneChan, who listened to me ramble on about various things to put in my story for at least a good hour, and No Pain No Gain, who looked the first half of this over for me and gave me advice on how to write a battle sequence. And they both put up with me and my whole "I love the Civil War," attitude on a daily basis (and my attitude in general, dunno how they deal with me), so kudos to them! Thanks, guys! (Also, go follow them, they're both amazing authors.)

Warnings: History, history, more history, and lots of notes. (Because despite having a battle, there is still hardly any violence. I'm trying, I swear I am.)

To say that Confederate was nervous would have possibly been a tad bit of an understatement. He was just about to meet with one of the five brigadier generals, a man who was held to a high level of respect, even with Lincoln; Robert E. Lee. Or, as he should be called, General Lee.

Confederate repeated the title to himself a few times before noticing that the capitol building was coming into view. Having traveled through Virginia for a good while now (during which he was either fast asleep, reading a book, or just enjoying the scenery), he was more than pleased to finally be in Richmond, the new heart of the Confederacy. Honestly, he thought Davis made a good choice in switching from Montgomery to Richmond. It was far more comfortable here than down in the excruciating heat of Alabama. The fact that Virginia was now a part of him, along with Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, also helped fuel his sudden pride for the state, and all the states that had seceded from the Union.

Virginia would probably be his favorite, if his ride through the state was anything to go by.

Now that he was here, though, he realized that he was minutes away from speaking with a renowned war general. His anxiety just took a shot upwards and he hurried to straighten the hat upon his head and check the fancy suit that he had chosen to wear for such a meeting and make sure his glasses weren't crooked. He wanted to make a good first impression.
Of course, it was just his luck that he somehow managed to trip three times on the way to the parlor after climbing out of the carriage, resulting in a heavy blush rising to his face when he entered the room and saw Davis and Lee sitting on a pair of plush armchairs, both looking a bit impatient.

"I'm here," was his rather pathetic greeting.

The men stood to greet him, Davis quickly offering a wide smile. "Don't be shy, Confederate. Come on over. I've been telling General Lee here about you."

He could only hope that Lee just heard good things. Then again, he really hadn't been around long enough for anyone to come up with bad things about him, had he? Feeling more confident with that thought in mind, he stepped further into the room, stopping before Davis to shake hands with him, then turned to Lee and did the same.

"Very pleased to meet you, er, Confederate," Lee said, a confused expression upon his face "Or, I suppose, that is what I'm supposed to call you?"

Confederate nodded vigorously. "Y-Yeah. I, I mean, yes sir. I do go by Confederate. I haven't got another name, I suppose." He straightened his waistcoat rather nervously, feeling all too awkward under the amount of doubt shining in Lee's eyes. He glanced at Davis, who gave him a nod of encouragement to continue talking. "I heard about your training of the Confederate soldiers. I'm really excited to see them perform well." Except he didn't sound excited, mainly because he wasn't sure what he could say to a rather popular general.

However, Lee's suspicious gaze was soon dropped in exchange for a soft smile. "Those men are very strong and able-bodied," he stated. "I've no fear that they surely will show us the true power of the Confederacy."

Confederate smiled and opened his mouth to say more, but then Davis cut in, proudly clapping Lee's shoulder. "I'm just thankful General Lee decided to resign from the Union in favor of the Confederacy."

"I'm fighting for my state, President Davis," the general gently reminded his friend. "I'm fighting for Virginia's rights, for the rights we truly deserve, the rights the Union refuses us."

Instantly, Confederate was filled with respect for this man. His eyes shone brightly as he gazed upon Lee, understanding now why he was desired by both the North and the South. Already knowledgeable on his time spent fighting in the Mexican War, Confederate was certain that Lee would bring about many victories for the Confederate soldiers. He had a keen mind, sharp senses, and a sense of justice that made Confederate feel stronger simply by being near to him.

This man really was the perfect choice for a general.

Davis, too, seemed pleased with the answer, for he then turned to Confederate, a smile still on his face. "You and the rest of the men did nice work at Fort Sumter," he stated, addressing his country rather than his general. "Beauregard told me good things about you."

Confederate kept his tongue in check, unsure as to whether or not he liked Beauregard. If he was saying good things about him, surely he must have been all bark and no bite. Perhaps it was the stress that caused him to act in such a rude way. "I hope he told you good stories about the other men," Confederate replied, choosing his words carefully. "They all did an excellent job. We were able to defeat the Union forces without much difficulty at all. They were strong, brave, and determined. I was very proud to work alongside them."

Lee nodded. "These men fight for what's right, and it shows."

"That's mainly why I called you here, Confederate," Davis said, gesturing to one of the chairs. "Won't you have a seat?"

Confederate nodded quickly, sitting down, and watched as the two humans sat down in front of him. "I thought you told me you just wanted me to meet Lee- I mean, General Lee." He tried ignoring Lee's amused smile, keeping his eyes dead-set on Davis (who, unfortunately, was also looking rather entertained by his country's pitiful fumbles).

"Well, yes, that was one of the reasons. The other was that I wanted to discuss with the both of you the developments of Lincoln's newest orders."

Lee looked interested. "I've been wondering about this," he said. "I understand that the Union's navy is probably far greater than ours could be, but there has to be some way we can slip past them." He rubbed at his temple. "Gaining allies in Europe could very well be our ticket to winning this war, but if we can't even get out of our own waters, then how will we ever get the help we need?"

Davis shook his head. "We'll be captured, no matter what we do. The Union won't recognize the fact that we're a nation, so they'll see it fit to punish our diplomats however they wish."

"If I go," Confederate said, quietly making his way back into the conversation. "If I go, perhaps one of the European nations will be more willing to fight for our behalf." The idea was growing on him, and he looked at the other two men with great fervor. "We already know the Union will capture whatever ship we send out to Europe. But I think, what with me being the ideal nation out of the two of us, the one the Europeans rely more heavily on, they might appeal to the Union to let us through, to let us create our own foreign relations.

"England is a leading world power. We all know this. Yet, they need our cotton. They like our way of life. They're far more into us than they are the North." He swallowed, certain that he was saying all the right things. Davis and Lee certainly seemed to agree, for they were nodding their heads thoughtfully.

Lee spoke first. "So we have England down as the first country we contact. I don't have any doubt that they'll be willing to fight for our cause. How about France, though?"

The president sighed at that. "France has always favored the North," he said. "I don't see any reason why they would switch sides now. Unless, of course, for our cotton." He glanced at Confederate, who raised his eyebrows.

"I didn't even think about France," the young country muttered. "Still, I think our best choice would be England. Perhaps if we become allies with them, France will soon follow."

"If we become allies with England, lad, we'll win independence for sure," Lee pointed out, a smile upon his face. "And now that that's settled, is there anything else we ought to discuss? I assume we know about the men Lincoln has called up to fight for him this past Independence Day."

Confederate groaned. "Why can't he just let us break away peacefully?" he asked. "I honestly wouldn't mind becoming friends with Union, but we need to be our own country, to have our own rights that they keep denying us. It really isn't any fair."

With a smirk, Davis shrugged his shoulders. "Well, rather than focus on matters that we can't stop, why don't we discuss movement of Union troops over lunch?" He stood, the two others following in his stead. "I'm sure Confederate especially is hungry. You've had a long trip over here, haven't you?"

"Oh, yes," Confederate heartily exclaimed, earning himself chuckles from his superiors.

At least he had the decency to laugh right along with them.

Bullets flew all around Confederate, threatening each and every one of his men, managing to pierce through a good many of them. Shouts were heard all around the battlefield, mostly incomprehensible cries of fear, anger, or determination, but there were a few orders thrown in here and there, though they were difficult to hear over the noise of the battle.

Confederate stepped over one of his fallen men, shooting at one of the Union troops with a skilled aim, taking a quick break to reload his musket once more, cursing his shaky hands as he fumbled with the bullets. Not for the first time, he found himself both angry and scared, having already been faced with the prospect of losing in this battle. Fortunately for him and the rest of his army, his generals had called for reinforcements before they had lost what ground they had.

X.X.X.X.X

"Colonel Evans!" Confederate called out, racing towards the man with great haste, his breath coming out in short, painful gasps. "Imboden is holding off the Union to allow us to regroup, but we won't last long when we have this small army." He took a quick glance around him towards their disorganized forces, blue eyes wide behind his glasses.

Evans nodded, not even bothering to look at Confederate. Instead, he pointed across the hill. "Beauregard and Johnston will be here shortly," he replied gruffly. "Right now, we just need to trust in Imboden's ability to defend our lines and try and regroup. I think Bartow is getting his men under control, thank God for that."

Confederate winced as another loud blast tore through the already noisy air, though he was easily able to tell that it was from one of their own 6-pounder guns. "How long will it take for Beauregard and Johnston to arrive?" the young nation asked, anxiety building up inside. "The Union forces could attack at any minute now, even with our defensive guns. They have more men then we do."

"Not for long," Evans grunted. "Ah, and speak of the Devil." Ignoring Confederate's confused stare, he strode over to the arrivals on horseback, giving them both a salute. "About time you two showed up," he said. "We're in high need of some help."

Even Confederate gave a sigh of relief as the two men unmounted their horses. "General Beauregard," he greeted, also stepping forward and managing to keep his voice neutral. "And General Johnston. It's nice to see the both of you." Hell, at this point, even the most unfriendly face helping for their cause was a great blessing. Plus, Beauregard looked to be much more at ease here than he did at Fort Sumter.

"Nice seeing you guys alive," Beauregard responded. "I heard the Union delivered quite the surprise attack on the forces." Taking a look around at the disorderly men, he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "We have reinforcements with us and General Jackson is coming up shortly with the Virginia brigade."

"Don't let them cut through the lines, though," Johnston warned. "They mean to break us and make their way to the capitol building. Once that's taken, the Confederacy could cease to exist as we know it."

Confederate swallowed. "Yes, we know. We're doing our best."

"Do more than your best," Beauregard said. "I'm sure you wouldn't like to go down this quickly."

Meeting Beauregard's gaze with steely eyes, Confederate responded, "I do not intend to be defeated like this. The Union thinks I'll go down quickly. They think we're just a bunch of rebellious Southerners that they will quickly be able to put an end to. Well, we're not, and we're going to show them as much."

Johnston gave a small smile, and even Beauregard seemed pleased. "Well, instead of discussing our victory, how about we start actually bringing it into action. Evans, meet up with Bartow and Bee to regroup. Once General Jackson arrives, I expect us to be ready to launch a counterattack. The longer we stay up on this hill, the longer the Union troops have to also receive a dose of reinforcements."

Evans saluted once more before going off to do as he was told. Confederate stayed by the side of the two generals, opting instead to help plan the counterattack rather than gather the forces. "Evans and I were just talking about the Union's mistake of not striking at us right now. Despite the guns, I think they're in a rather good position to bring us down."

"He's bombarding us with his batteries instead," Beauregard pointed out. "Well, it's his loss and it's our gain. We'll just use his inability to strike as an advantage."

"Or as a survival method," Confederate mumbled, earning himself a chuckle from Johnston.

Beauregard raised his eyebrows and promptly ignored Confederate. "When Jackson does arrive, along with Hampton and Stuart, we're going to set up his artillery guns on the crest of the hill. The position should also be an advantage for us."

"With so many reinforcements, I expect we'll have the Union retreating by tonight," Confederate said.

"Don't get too confident," Johnston warned. "It might take longer than you think to win this battle."

Confederate shrugged, still undeterred from being optimistic. Besides, they were still holding strong. A glance around him showed that Evans, Bartow, and Bee had already rounded up most of the troops and were now waiting for the influx of troops that would be arriving.

"Even if it does take longer," Confederate responded. "I still know we'll win."

X.X.X.X.X

He was brought back from his thoughts with a loud yell from his troops, glancing over to see the Union guns now in control of the Confederacy. He noticed with amazement that his men were clad in blue uniforms, making them look much more like their enemies. Feeling lifted by their brilliance and spirit, he turned toward General Jackson, who was fighting bravely just a few feet away. "General!" he cried out, waving his hands and gesturing over to the infantry members. "We got their guns!"

Sure enough, Jackson seemed lifted by their new positions. "Tell them to turn it on 11th New York!" he yelled out. "Send Stuart's cavalry up to help as well!" With that, he disappeared into the thick of the battle, leaving Confederate to issue orders, which he did so quickly and very effectively.

In no time at all, the Union regiment they were firing upon was scattered, the men either dead or retreating. "Keep it up!" he exclaimed to the soldiers, glancing to see more guns in Confederate control. "This is certainly changing the tide of the battle, isn't it?" A survey around the battlefield showed him that they were steadily pushing the Union troops back off of Henry House Hill, and with Beauregard's command of an attack along the entire line, it seemed that the Union was so close to retreating.

And then they suddenly did. He could hear the orders to retreat over the loud yells the Confederate was giving with each attack they made. He could see the lines break as the northern men began running in a disorderly fashion up to the Bull Run crossings.

Confederate couldn't help but smile at their confusion.

"Take your troops and chase them," he ordered the soldiers, mounting his horse. "Capture as many Union men as possible. I'm going to speak with Beauregard." He galloped away quickly, not bothering to see if the soldiers would obey his order. He was more intent on delivering a final blow to the retreating Union army.

"General Beauregard!" he called out, bringing his horse to a standstill when he was in front of the man. "What is our next or-" He shut his mouth when he noticed President Davis on horseback right beside Beauregard, a displeased expression on his face.

"His next order is to take advantage of this situation and pursue the Union troops," the president snapped at Beauregard. "And I've already told him twice."

"When did you get here, President?" Confederate asked in surprise.

"Just in time to see the enemy retreating, and just in time to order an interception." A pointed glare was sent to Beauregard, who ignored it.

"Our troops are just as disorderly as theirs," he explained calmly. "I don't want to risk losing our entire army. They might still be able to attack us if we send more men after them." Before either Davis or Confederate could respond, he held up a hand for silence. "Johnston also agrees, though he has sent out Bonham and Longstreet's brigades to try and cut the Union off from the right flank."

"Just those two won't be enough," Davis argued. "I'm urging you, General Beauregard, I think it would be in our best interest to inter-"

Beauregard, however, shook his head. "I heard what you think, and please believe me when I say that I considered it, President, but I can't afford to do such a thing. Now, if you two will excuse me, I'm going to go check on the other regiments down below." With a quick nod toward Davis, Beauregard's horse trotted back down the hill, leaving Confederate staring after him in irritation.

With a glance at Davis, he noticed his president must have felt the same way. "Perhaps he's right," Confederate cautiously muttered. "It will take a good while to regroup this combined army. By the time we do that, the Union troops could be far out of Virginia."

Davis sighed, looking at Confederate. "How many of our commanders have been killed?" he asked, resigned to the fate that they wouldn't crush the Union army today.

"Colonel Bartow is all that I know of," Confederate responded, more than happy to change the subject. He didn't wish to get into an argument, not so soon after the battle. "General Bee was wounded. I heard he probably won't make it."

The president bit his lip, gazing across the battlefield at wounded, dying, or lifeless men. "Such is the cruel fate of war," he whispered softly. "One would assume that humans would be above fighting, above resorting to violence to carry out what needs to be done."

"But we're doing it for our people," Confederate added. "We're protecting the rights of our citizens. Sometimes, fighting is necessary to accomplish our goals."

Davis chuckled, though it was without much humor. "You're so young, yet you're still so very bright." He motioned with his head. "Come. Let's meet up with the other generals. It was a victory for us, yes, but we can't ever let our guard down in war."

War. The very thought of war was so scary, so threatening, and so close. "I wonder if my entire existence will be plagued with war," Confederate joked, following Davis down the hill. "That won't be a very fun life."

"I assure you, it won't be," Davis replied. "Like you so confidently state time and time again, the Confederacy will win and then you will be free to make peace with every nation in the world if you so choose."

"If the people so choose," Confederate corrected. "I'm only alive by their will for me to be."

"Yes." Davis smiled. "Then I suppose you don't have to worry about dying."

If the formatting is fucked up, I blame this site.

History notes, anyone? I say yes. There's a lot in there that I didn't explain, so for the more curious souls out there, venture no farther than what I have below.

Robert E. Lee was quite an amazing general. He started out as an officer in the Corps of Engineers, where he checked over the defenses and whatnot. He was awesome in the Mexican-American war, however, and raised to the position of Colonel. From there, he trained a bunch of men at West Point (the military academy he graduated from) before putting down John Brown's raid at Harper's Ferry. Then, Lincoln wanted him for his army, but Lee's all, "Virgina seceded and my heart lies with my state, so I'm gonna go down there." And he did, huzzah huzzah. He became the general of the Confederate Army, though he didn't fight until September. There are some very interesting stories out there about Lee. For example, he rescued a dog drowning in the water and named her Dart. Dart and his cat ate from the same bowl, although the cat would eat first (because it would smack Dart's face if Dart tried eating with it). Dart had puppies, and they gave all away except for one, named Spec. Apparently, when Lee was in Mexico, Spec became ill and Lee wrote home saying, "Tell him I wish he was here with me." I mainly like Lee because he had kitties and loved his kitties, and I can totally see him chilling with his cats. Awesome. Anyway, I tried making Lee just like how I read about him. I picture him as he was portrayed in the movie Gettysburg, though, since that seemed like a pretty accurate portrayal.

Richmond, Virgina, was the capital of the Confederacy after Virgina joined them. Before then, it had been Montgomery, Alabama. Think about how hot that must have been, egad. Virgina was a far better choice. Everything's in Virgina, man.

The Anaconda Plan was a proclamation issued out by Lincoln that the Union would create a blockade around the Confederacy, cutting off their access to the sea. They knew the Confederate wanted allies, and they knew England might possibly become their ally, so they were trying to stop that as best they could.

England relied heavily on the South's cotton. More English sympathized with the Confederacy than they did the Union. I also read, in an old Harper's Weekly written back in 1862, that the English sided with the Confederacy for two reasons- one, they felt the North was just trying to gain more and more power while the South just wanted independence (um, American Revolution, anyone?) and, two, why the hell would they go to war with the 8,000,000 living in the South (not that they WOULD have gone to war, since the South was too busy fighting it's own war, but whatever). However, I doubt the article, since it seems very, VERY biased towards the North, but whatevs.

The movement of Union troops is in regards to Union response to Ft. Sumter. They were all, "Rebel scum, let us just take their capital and be done with it!" So they started moving down to Virgina, which leads us into the First Battle of Bull Run.

The First Battle of Bull Run was, obviously, a Confederate victory. I'm so not going to go over the little details in this. There's a lot. I'm gonna try and summarize it to the best of my abilities. So, General McDowell was sent by Lincoln (more like "urged", actually, not sent) to attack the Confederate troops in northern Virgina on July 21st, 1861. McDowell was kinda unorganized, and everything was very complicated on his end, which gave the Confederate forces enough time to block their attack. As the day went on, the Confederate forces were drawn back on Henry House Hill. Because McDowell didn't immediately press his advantage and attack, the Confederacy was able to regroup, get reinforcements from other generals (Thomas Jackson, for one), and finally force the Union to retreat.

Thomas Jackson also earns the name "Stonewall" Jackson in this battle, courtesy of General Bee; "There is Jackson standing like a stone wall. Let us determine to die here, and we will conquer. Rally behind the Virginians." Of course, whether it was meant as an insult or a compliment is still debated. I mean, the guy was shot just minutes after saying that, then died the next day.

The "rebel yell" was used for the first time here after Jackson told the 4th Virgina infantry to "Reserve your fire until they come within 50 yards! Then fire and give them the bayonet! And when you charge, yell like furies!" And yell they did. Google it.

Davis urged for interception of the Union troops but Beauregard refused, saying they weren't organized enough, that they were just as disorderly as the Union troops. And Davis kept urging, but Beauregard and Johnston were all, "NO!"

Notes, yay! If you still need something to be explained, shoot me up a PM. If I was inaccurate (heaven forbid, I spent hours studying up), shoot me a PM. I strive to deliver only the best. REVIEWS ARE LOVE! I live off those things. They're my food. Om nom nom nom.