No… I Don't Think I Will
A Captain America Story
Chapter 9
Caleb
by Steve A. Rowell
Henning, Tennessee
April 12th, 1864
Caleb paused to rest his horse. Belvidere had proven his worth on this trip. Caleb had covered a great deal of ground. Dallas, Little Rock and now just north of Memphis he crossed the river leaving Arkansas for Tennessee. Nashville still a three-day ride, but he felt up to it. He took out the last of the oats from Jonesboro, smelled them, put some between his gums, "still good," he put the feeder bag on Belvidere and patted his neck.
Caleb sat and rolled the last of the tobacco. He heard gunfire in the distance. Caleb walked his horse slowly toward the sound. At this time in American history there were many factions in the land some of which would take exception to a black man traveling on his own. Being a free black man could make things worse. In a clearing ahead he could see a confederate soldier prostrate on the ground with a sniper's rifle bearing down on a target below.
Caleb positioned himself behind the soldier to get a bead on the target. He saw Ft Pillow below. Union soldiers and officers were scattering, taking cover, and trying to hold off a Rebel advance. The sharpshooter at Caleb's feet fired a round. Caleb could see a Union officer fall.
"Got 'm! Killed me a Major damn it. Killed me a Major. I'll be collecting them bars for sure when this is all over!" The shooter exclaimed.
Caleb began to study the battle that was playing out before him. It was about five hundred Union soldiers, infantry and artillery divisions, half black men, and half white men. The Confederates were commanded by a Major General on horseback. Shortly after Caleb spotted him his horse felled by a union shot. Major General Nathon Bedford Forest took cover behind the dead animal and returned fire. A union infantry soon brought him another horse. Before mounting he retrieved a saddle bag from the fallen steed.
Caleb watched as the tide of battle turned to favor the attacking confederates. Union soldiers were beaten back to a small group of buildings at a corner of the fort. The soldier at Caleb's feet reacted to a wave from an officer on the field. He put down his weapon and prepared to join the assault. As he turned he saw Caleb.
"What, the, he-where did you come from? How long you been standin' there?" He put his hand on his sidearm. Caleb instinctively grabbed his chain and whipped it at his gun hand breaking his hand and his gun. The soldier drew a knife with his left hand. Caleb withdrew his chain and circled it behind him and entwined it around the soldier's neck, snapping it in the process. The soldier fell to the ground choking on his own blood.
With the treat dispatched, Caleb turned his attention to the fort below. He could see the confederates reinforcing their positions and holding the union soldiers in position. Major General Nathon Bedford Forest entered the field mounted on a fresh horse. He dismounted as the union soldiers were in the process of laying down their arms. He instructed the soldiers separated by color with the Negro artillery soldiers to one side and the white infantry to the other. Caleb watched as Forest made a proclamation:
"This has not ended! Your fate here will not be decided by me, or my men." Forest then retrieved the saddlebag. Caleb watched as he reached his hand into the bag. The Sutton Hoo Helmet glistened in the setting sun. Forest fitted the helmet to his head and stretched out his arms. The union soldiers began to twitch as if controlled by unseen strings. They bent down and retrieved their weapons.
"No Quarter!, No Quarter!" the union soldiers shouted.
Caleb watched as the union soldiers began to attack each other hand to hand until none were left standing. The exercise took no more than a few minutes. No man in blue was left alive. The confederate soldiers were stunned. Caleb turned and placed his head against his horse. What he had seen was unnatural. He knew that experience all too well.
Caleb removed a burlap sack from his horse. He dumped the contents into the puddle of blood left by the dead soldier. The three skulls rolled until each righted itself staring back at Caleb. Caleb raised his arms in an earie similarly fashion as Forest. He looked to the heavens. His head came down leveled and burst into flames. He reached out his arm and placed it gingerly on Belvidere's neck. The horse blew flames out of his nostrils. The three skulls rose and encircled Caleb's head. Caleb mounted Belvidere and he galloped down the hill to the fort.
Dusk had come. The surrendering sun painted the landscape in a fire glow. Caleb burst through the rampart. He stopped and pointed to the pile of bodies.
"Justice is no more… Vengeance is all that remains!"
The corpses began to animate. The union soldiers gathered their guns and mounted an attach on the confederates. The Rebels returned fire; they had no effect on the soldiers. They were helpless. They had no chance. The ones still alive and able deserted. Forest was all that remained.
In a panicked state Forest mounted his horse and began to ride. Caleb followed. Forest drove the fresh horse hard. Caleb kept pace. Forest headed for the river. He reached a ferry and launched it as Caleb approached. Caleb watched from the shoreline as Forest removed the helmet and threw it into the river.