Emerging Writers. Historical Fiction by Mary Ann DiLorenzo
Journeying Back to What Used to Be. Part 13.
It was halfway through the night when Johnny awoke. In total fatigue, he had fallen asleep there on the porch he realized. He got to his feet, stretched, and thought about things once again. Actually, he was always thinking now. He laughed to himself, he never did much thinking before the war, before everything changed. But with the war, he changed too. Mostly because his life had changed. He missed the way things were, a lot sometimes, and he just wasn’t sure how to go forward.
The old way was gone, gone forever. “Do I try to make the best of what is left? Do I hold onto what I still have? Or would it be best to make a complete break and leave it all for a new start, somewhere, some other thing? I guess I still need more time to figure it out. I’ll know what to do when it’s time to choose the trail.” He stepped off the porch onto the trail toward the barn. Out of instinct, he looked all around just in case those Yanks were getting ready to jump on them in the dark when the Southern boys weren’t expecting them.
Shiloh came back to him just then. That was early in the war, he was still green, they were all still green. The Rebs had done well that first day of the battle, beating the Federals back. They could have had them on the run in the overnight, but Beauregard had them hold back. He remembered that night they were moving and waiting, Johnny and those Southern boys were, watching the trails and the open fields for signs of those Yanks. That was his first real taste of being on edge, waiting for something that may or may not happen, getting ready to counter whatever came along. That feeling like he never had before and would never lose during all those years of war and for a long, long time after that danger had passed into the annals of history. Tonight he felt that way and the reason was the same really, he was on edge, not sure of what was next. And still, he smiled. “Guess war is a lot like life, imagine that!”
He kept on walking around the place as night turned to dawn. He couldn’t forget Shiloh, they had had the Union just where they wanted them. But then the next morning Union reinforcements arrived and that scruffy U.S. Grant, still relatively unknown at the time, launched a counteroffensive and the carnage began once again. The Confederates had to retreat and then it was over. Over 23,000 killed, wounded and missing for the both sides in total for the two days of fighting. “Lost some friends there,” he remembered.
“Best try to get some rest in before work in the morning.” He walked back to the house then, all of a sudden too tired to think about Yankees lurking along the way.
Follow this Civil War Story About Going Home.
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 1
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 2
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 3
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 4
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 5
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 6 & 7
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 8
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 9
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 10
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 11
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 12
Journeying Back to What Used to Be, Part 13 (This one)
