SIX #2
Stepping aside, the two soldiers allowed the wagon through. Cynthia slid her hand forward and squeezed Tucker’s shoulder. He reached up and kissed it, never removing his eyes from the road.
The wagon bounced on the rough track, jostling them for five minutes before camp became visible. Just at the top of the next hill sat about a dozen or more pitched tents. A few campfires burned, with one or two men at each. The rest of the camp lay quiet.
Tucker pulled the wagon off the side of the road. A man stood from one of the fires and came close, followed by another.
He waited until Tucker helped the reverend down. Maggie and Cynthia stayed in the wagon.
Adams stumbled at first, legs numb from the ride. Tucker grabbed his arm and helped him up the rest of the way.
“You must be the preacher. I’m Captain Kirkpatrick.”
“Hello, Captain. Reverend Adams.” He shook his hand. “My apologies for arriving in the middle of the night. We set out later than intended and had concerns about stopping on the road at night.”
“Yes, you were wise to have those concerns. My contacts within the Home Guard have shared some horrific stories. Women being raped, homes burned out. Mostly from looters and deserters. No doubt those monsters invading from the north.”
“No doubt,” Adams murmured.
“You may stay the night for your trouble, but in the morning, you’ll need to move on. No one here has need of you. You aren’t the first preacher to visit us. We can’t spare supplies.”
“There is no need to worry about us. We brought our own supplies and will be no trouble. We only want to offer aid to those who have need of it.”
“As I’ve said, we have no need of you. Don’t push your luck, preacher. I’m allowing you to stay within the safety of our camp for the night. Come dawn, pack and move out.”
Reverend Adams didn’t try to press any further. “Thank you, Captain. We’ll be here for the remainder of the night if a need should arise.”
Tucker helped him down the slope back to the wagon before he unharnessed the horses. They were hobbled to a stake in the ground, letting them graze where they stood.
While Tucker was taking care of the team, the reverend spoke quietly to the women. “You both sleep in the wagon tonight. We have a few hours left, at best. Tucker and I will bed down under it. Tomorrow, we’ll carry on.”
The sounds of camp kept Maggie awake. How could everyone be so calm? They were in the middle of a war camp, a place that she had been journeying to for what felt like forever, and yet not at all where she intended.
So set on the goal of finding Henry and the obstacles that she might face along the way, she’d never thought about what it would be like once she did enter a camp.
It was triggering. Her heart palpitated and palms were sweaty.
The men in the camp looked worse. Most appeared half-starved, dead on their feet.
The light had gone out of their eyes. The war had dragged on far longer than anyone anticipated.
At the start, all the boys bragged about ‘beating the yanks’ within a matter of months.
Four years later, and here they were. Their home, their land, had become the battleground.
Neighbor had turned upon neighbor. Enemies were around every corner.
Had Joel and Hugh faced such a grimacing end?
Maybe that was one small mercy that they went so quickly at the start of the war. Life after was bound to be drastically different than before.
How can we ever recover from this?
At dawn, they followed commands and moved out. There hadn’t been time to eat, and Maggie’s stomach growled loudly. No one mentioned it.
“What’ll we do tonight if we don’t find another camp?” Maggie asked.
“There will be another,” Reverend Adams said. “Captain Kirkpatrick didn’t say, but based on the temporary nature of the camp, we weren’t allowed to stay past dawn because they are venturing out. Men began harnessing their horses as we left, did you notice?”
She shook her head, but then remembered he couldn’t see her sitting in front. “No.”
“There was no water source close by. The camp was just off the main road but placed on high ground in case of an attack. Did you smell a latrine? No. Because why? Because it was a temporary placement. I’d gander that they hadn’t been there more than a few hours before we arrived.
The men are weak from hunger and marching.
There’ll be more camps. They’re moving, converging into a large force. Preparing against the final attack.”
“Attack where?”
“Every large city— Raleigh. Richmond. The rail lines are being destroyed. Cutting supplies off. General Lee has relied upon North Carolina warehouses and the countryside’s support for too long.
More and more men desert the cause by the day, and General Grant knows it.
Sherman marches up from the coast, burning and destroying.
Meanwhile, his cohort, Stoneman, marches up from Tennessee.
They are backing Lee into a corner. Cut off supplies, and it’s over. ”
The group fell silent. Even Tucker side-eyed the reverend. Evidently, war talk was not his usual.
“How do you know all of this?” Cynthia spoke up, speaking her mind.
“Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I can’t read the papers,” Adams quipped. “If I can see it, the rest of the world sure can.”
Unlike traveling with Mary, Reverend Adams remained full of conversation. He proposed many theological questions to Tucker, who was clearly used to the banter.
“Did you teach at the Female Seminary with Mr. Mills?” Maggie asked during one interval.
“Briefly, yes. But that was a lifetime ago. Back when my bones weren’t so old.”
“You must’ve made quite an impression to stay in correspondence.”
“John and I shared a common background. I think our friendship brings each other support in a unique way.”
“Meaning what, exactly? If you don’t mind me asking.”