Into the West

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Ksim3000 - Yes, the Confederates are stronger than they probably should be, but so too is the Union. Just wait until later in the war - the numbers will surprise you. And Taylor's been an odd one to write for. He is one of those characters that has taken his own path, against where I had originally intended him. He's not easy to write for since I seldom know what he will do next.

Seidita - I'm glad you enjoyed it. It came out sort of rough for me at first, but then I decided to keep it as is. Posting will resume shortly. Thanks.

Wamo - Thank you uber-fan!

Machiavellian - You are quite correct. If I recall, the battle went very much that way in game. As for where it goes next, it's coming soon. I promise.

jwolf - See above for Taylor. As for the ego problems, you are so right. You will see more of it as well, I am sure.

stnylan - Not much has been good for Sonny's idealism, and it doesn't get much better.

Amric - It sure does. I feel that writing in installments like this means I need to leave some sort of hook to each little bit. They probably would not read so well if all put together in one sitting.

And of course I leave you guys with a hook and then let the story sit for a few days. Truth be told, you may blame EUII. I fired it up over the weekend just to see how the latest patch has changed the game and guess what??? Yes, that's right - I'm in the middle of the 16th century trying to fight a coalition of the bloody English, Spanish, Austrians and the Pope as France. Bah! I admit to not spending much time writing in the last few days what with that and the convention going on.

Thanks to all of you for reading and commenting. Just wanted to pop in and give you a heads up. I will get on with the story soon. Should have the next bit up by the weekend at the latest...that is if the "coalition" will let me.

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Semi-Lobster - Surely they can, but must Atlanta always burn?!?! Actually, that will play into this eventually...though I'm not telling what happens or how yet.

TreizeV - And doing a spledid job of it, I must say. Yes, Taylor is a bit of a pickel to me. Not quite sure what direction he will take next. He's not all bad - just irritated to the extreme. Not sure if that helps you make heads or tails of him though.

Amric - Ah, but I have now - and a splendid read it is - as always. Check it out folks. It's a winner.

Judge - Wonderful to have you back from vacation. I am pleased that the battles have been so well received. And Sonny must grow up at some point, but where this "education" takes him will be interesting, at least I hope so.

Rensslaer - Feel free to comment even if you have not caught up. It is always one of the problems with writing a long and narrative AAR. Who will take the time to pour through it? I am pleased to see you make an attempt. And I am really glad to hear that the dialogue is sounding true to form for the south and west. It was one of the main focuses I had from the beginning - to try and detail characters using different accents. It is always a worry if they will come across as planned and it seems as though they have.

Thanks to one and all for enjoying this tale. I apologize for taking longer than suggested to get this next update up, but you know how it is. The Austrians...and English...and Spanish - they just wouldn't let me live in peace and build a nice colonial empire. So, I had to teach them a thing or two about a thing or two. God, how have I gone this long without playing EUII? The changes made in recent patches are outstanding. What a game!!

Err...anyway, the next update follows after a typo pass and I must thank all of you for reading and commenting once again. I really do appreciate it!

The month of November had gone by quietly. General Jackson was secure knowing that by holding Bowling Green, supplies would be few heading down into Tennessee. But there were other railroads that ran down towards Memphis, and Jackson had given General Nathan Bedford Forrest a free hand planning raids meant to disrupt them.

As the season turned towards winter, with frost soon appearing upon the morning ground, life in the town and surrounding camp became rather mundane. It was in this spirit that Jackson declared a great feast of thanks for their victory in Bowling Green and success in stalling Union supplies, hoping to boost the men’s spirits.

One of the town’s wealthier families were southern sympathizers and had readily offered their home to host a fanciful dinner for Jackson and his officers. Being a Jackson aide also allowed Sonny to be invited and he had been ill at ease for most of the meal. When dishes were served to him, he was not sure how to respond. He looked at the many different utensils in front of him and had no idea which to use.

Luckily, the owner’s daughter, not but a year or so younger than Sonny sat next to him and whispered every so often when he was making a mistake. She would do so with a slight giggle and a smile, and Sonny would feel even more uncomfortable. In fact, the only time that he felt any comfort at all would be during Jackson’s opening blessing of the meal. This he remembered from his own upbringing and it made him feel safe.

As he ate the bountiful turkey stuffed with cornbread and rich cranberry sauce made with large, juicy cranberries, he would feel guilty knowing that Will and Dinny were missing such a delicious meal. He made a special note of every bit of it, however, for he was certain to tell them all about it.

The conversation taking place during the meal stayed away from discussions of the war, but rather focused on more normal activities. They discussed the previous season’s take from the fields, and the prospect for the next. They discussed the floral arrangements done up so beautifully by Mrs. Snow, the owner’s wife. They discussed anything that was not war and death, hunger and bone-chilling cold that their eastern forces were most likely experiencing, or soon would.

Jackson smiled uncharacteristically throughout the entire meal. He did not speak much, but rather nodded when spoken to. He was asked about his wife, but he declined to say much other that he missed her terribly and hoped to see her soon. Generals Taylor and Bragg had been much more outspoken about their lives prior to the war, but Sonny tuned them out, intent on focusing on his manners and the feast before him.

As the officers and other invited guests finished eating, Mr. Snow suggested that they all retire to the sitting room, as Mrs. Snow was a rather accomplished piano player and had little need to play the past few months. She was excited to regale the men with her musical renditions, and Sonny smiled throughout as he listened to her wonderful playing.

After she finished, Sonny sat still, alone in a chair looking out the front window. He was startled when Ida Snow, his dining assistant, sat down in the chair opposite him and simply looked at him without saying a word. He reached up to tip his cap until he realized that he was not wearing one.

“Ma’am. I…that was a truly wonderful meal. I am very proud to have had such a…had the pleasure to have eatin’…” he stumbled his words to the point that she nodded, and replied,

“You needn’t bother with niceties, Mr. Gamble. Or should I call ya by your rank? What is your rank again, sir?”

“Umm, well, I’s…I mean, I was just made a Corporal actually.”

“Really,” she exclaimed with enthusiasm. “Whatever braveness did ya show for such a promotion?”

“Ahh…nothin’ really…I mean, nothing really. I work for the General there and he seems to hold me in a fairly good favor, I suppose.”

“Well, if it is because of your gentle nature, or kind look, then I can understand.”

Sonny’s face began to turn red as he started to feel an attraction to Ida.

“How have your folks been gettin' along with all that’s goin’ on…I mean…”

“Ya needn’t feel as though ya must correct yourself Corporal. I can understand ya perfectly well, and find your manner of speech endearing. It’s quite precious actually.”

“Precious?” he asked, wondering if he heard her correctly.

“Very,” she replied coyly and smiled. “So tell me of your family, Corporal.”

Sonny stayed quiet for a moment, not sure what to say, and then decided there was no reason to keep it a secret.

“They’re gone, Miss. I’m afraid we lost ‘em not but a few months ago.”

“Oh, I am so sorry to hear of that. Ya said ‘we’. Do ya have siblings?”

“Yes ma’am. There’s my brother and I have a cousin too. He’s just been assigned to General Forrest’s cavalry and they’s been out runnin’ raids on the railroad lines to the west.”

“My, how exciting. I do hope he makes it back safely.”

“Yes, ma’am,” was all Sonny could think of as a reply. They both sat there silently for a moment, her waiting for Sonny to strike up further conversation and he hoping she would do likewise. He brushed the legs of his uniform and picked up his hat from the table and began playing with it.

“Ya don’t have to leave, do ya Corporal?” she asked thinking that was a signal for him to go.

“Oh, no ma’am. I…this is a right purty house you got. I don’t reckon I ever seen such a place.”

“No?”

“No ma’am. There was some big houses down to Memphis, but this here sure buries ‘em.”

He started to smile and then thought his comment was uneducated and stopped.

“Well, it’s been in our family for several years. My grandfather built it. It’s one of the first in these parts, before the area was truly settled.”

Sonny did not know how to respond and wanted to kick himself. Here she was trying to show him her interest and he could think of nothing proper to say. Before he could respond with another comment that did not satisfy, General Jackson saved him.

“Corporal Gamble. I do hope you’ve been entertaining the fair Miss Snow rather than boring her with tales of battle.”

“Oh, General,” she replied, “Nothing could be further from the truth. Your Corporal is a right gentleman. He has been a pleasure to converse with.”

“Splendid. Just splendid. Unfortunately, I shall have to tear him away from ya as we must return to the camp. But I am sure our young man here might be inclined to discuss such matters with ya again at some later date. Yes Corporal?”

“Yes sir, oh yes.” Sonny stood and turned to Ida Snow. He took her gloved hand as she offered it and instinctively gave it a slight kiss. He had seen it done before and the gesture seemed appropriate. She fluttered he eyelashes in response and bowed her head ever so slightly. “Miss,” he said as he left her sitting in the chair.

Jackson followed behind him and thanked their hosts as they left the house. He walked down the front steps behind Sonny and could barely contain his laughter at the young man’s woefully inadequate courting methods.

“I shall have to teach ya a thing or two before our time together is through, young Gamble. But I shall leave well enough alone for this evening. I dare not embarrass ya further,” Jackson said as he climbed onto his horse.

Sonny was thankful for the reprieve from blushing further and followed the General and his officers back to camp with a certain young lady on his mind. But it was soon disturbed as they returned to find General Forrest standing and waiting for Jackson.

“General, sir. We have news for ya.”

Jackson calmly dismounted his horse and removed his gloves. He handed the reins to another of his aides and followed Forrest into the command tent. Sonny tied his own horse up and went in search of Will. Finding him quickly, as the cavalry unit had not been back for very long, he saw Will shoveling the remains of the camp feast into his mouth.

“What’s happened, Will? What’s the news that Forrest come to tell the General?”

“Sonny…” Will began to say between large bites, “You ain’t gonna believe this. But them Yanks have a prison up to the northwest.”

“A prison? Ya mean for our boys?”

“You bet. There must be one or two thousand up there, by General Forrest’s reckonin’. He wants to break ‘em out and take the supplies while he’s at it.”

“How many soldiers do ya think are there?”

“Don’t rightly know, but ya know ‘ol Forrest. He don’t care ‘bout no odds. He just does it anyway. But that ain’t the best part, Sonny-boy.”

Sonny perked up with further interest.

“You ain’t gonna be able to guess who I done saw while we was raidin’ that last train.”

He waited for Sonny to guess, which did not follow. Finally giving up, Will squinted his eyes, swallowed the food in his mouth and said with cool certainty, “Bill Tanney.”

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stnylan - Yes, he's young and like young ones, want to brag. And an interesting, but probably good reaction to the mention of Tanney. If you feel that way, then I must have done a fair job setting his character up, especially for someone who barely appears in the story, at least thus far.

Ksim3000 - Thank you sir. I was slightly inspired by Amric's ever so lovely meal descriptions and thought I would try my hand at one, even if slightly limited. As for Sonny, Ida and/or Tanney - read on my friend.

Amric - And with the above said, I'm glad you liked it. You hold the banner for meal descriptions as far as I know.

jwolf - Yes, there is always that pickle of Tanney still being around later. Besides, Sonny wouldn't dream of disobeying again, now would he? Or would he?

Judge - Boy, Ida really made an impact. And here I only meant for her to be a slight diversion for our boy Sonny. She will reappear, though I doubt in the manner in which you have suggested. Perhaps I'll loan her out to you when (and if) she gets any older.

Wamo - Why, to keep you coming back, of course.

TreizeV - A slight forshadow is included there, but really just to show Sonny's lack of maturity. I am really glad the conversation has gone over so well. Sonny has had to grow up fast, and in the process, he's missed out on a few things.

The next update will follow after a typo pass, and I have split it up into two. It was becoming rather long once I stuck a beginning coda onto it. Hopefully the coda is not too intrusive, but I felt it was time to place the reader back into the main flow - that is where this history is coming from. Plus, I have a little moment in the second part that might seem a bit odd without remembering that. Sounds strange right now, but probably not after you read part 2, which will most likely be posted tomorrow.

Thanks once again to everyone for reading, enjoying and commenting. I've said it before, but I will readily say it again. I really appreciate it folks!!

“I’LL KILL HIM!!” Sonny screamed out into the night, waking Doc Foster from his sleep. The Doc stood and looked down at Sonny who was writhing on the bed. His face was drenched with sweat and he mumbled to himself in his sleep. Doc Foster found a rag and blotted Sonny’s forehead and neck.

Corinna ran into the room quickly after hearing Sonny’s shout. Bert followed her as he had been trying to convince his sister to get some sleep. She would have none of it, and this latest outburst would make sure of that.

“What is it, Doctor?”

“Oh, the poor fella’s just dreaming. I told you this fever would take some time to work its way through. But I am fearful that he’s not getting any restful sleep.”

The Doc looked around the room for a moment, consumed with a thought.

“Dear, hand me that bottle…just there on the counter. Yes, that’s it.”

Corinna handed the bottle to him as Doc Foster gestured for Bert to go to the other side of Sonny’s bed.

“Help me hold his head up, Bert. He’ll sleep well after a dose of this. I can assure you of that.”

As the Doc poured an amount into Sonny’s mouth, Corinna asked, “What are you giving him, Doctor?”

“Oh, just a bit of Laudanium. He might still dream a bit, and odd ones at that, but he’ll sleep better.”

He re-corked the bottle and Bert gently laid Sonny’s head back onto the bed. Sonny seemed to find some calm soon after and Doc Foster told Corinna to listen to her brother.

“You best get some sleep, young miss. There’s plenty more to wait through and there’s no reason for you to get sick with worry. I’ll be here with him.”

She left the room with tears in her eyes. Bert tried to console her, but he was unable to make her think of anything other than Sonny. The Doc sat back down and watched, as Sonny seemed to find some calmer sleep. Soon, he too would drift off and begin dreaming. But his dreams would be nothing like Sonny’s. Nothing like them at all.



Sonny and Will trotted along beside one another. The air surrounding them was cold, even though the sun was out. If the steam coming from their horses nose did not make them sure of it, the occasional gusts of wind certainly did. Sonny was glad he brought his heavy coat, for many of the men had discarded theirs earlier in the fighting and some of them now wished they had not.

Will had explained to Sonny how he had seen Bill Tanney. After Forrest’s cavalry had raided a train just west of the Kentucky state line, they had pulled away and gathered themselves on a ridge overlooking their work. General Forrest had taken the chance to look back and see the damage and the Union attempts to gather what was left. Through his field glasses, he had seen another group of mounted soldiers ride up and assist. He motioned to a few of his subordinates to look as well, to see if any of them recognized the band of riders.

One of the Captains knew that Will was from Missouri and asked him to look. When Will was able to gain good sight of them, it was then that he recognized old Tanney riding out in front. Will had told Sonny how haughty he appeared, barking orders and riding his horse up and down the length of the raided train.

There was also the matter of stolen documents that listed the prison at Camp Butler to the north, just outside of Springfield, Illinois. They had all noticed that the band of riders had several men chained together that followed them. Forrest was sure that they were attempting to get these men on board in order to free Tanney’s men to go out and gather up further prisoners.

After returning to the camp at Bowling Green, Forrest had argued strongly to attempt a raid on this prison, not just to free the imprisoned troops, but also for the valuable supplies that might be stored at the camp. Perhaps even a few pieces of artillery might be found.

Jackson had been skeptical of the venture, but Taylor had weighed in on Forrest’s side, as strange as that seemed to all of the General staff. Taylor volunteered to mount up a part of his brigade and join with Forrest in the trip. They would add strength in case the number of Union troops was higher than Forrest anticipated and also provide arms to guard the cavalry as they gathered up the desired loot.

Jackson eventually relented, as there had been no further attacks from Buell and with winter setting in, he did not anticipate any more until at least the first of the year. Still, he kept the majority of his army stationed around Bowling Green. Forrest was allowed to take half of his cavalry corps, and Taylor to pick only the best riders from his group.

However, one soldier would owe his ticket on this trip to the special relationship he had developed with General Jackson. Sonny had heard about the planning from Will and gone directly to Jackson immediately. It took two days to finally wear the old Stonewall down, but eventually he crumbled, more to cease the constant pestering than anything else. Besides, it did not sound like a very dangerous mission, as Jackson knew that most of the Union forces in the west had been sent south with Sheridan and Pope, and whatever raw recruits that had joined up since would still be green.

It was with this satisfaction that Sonny rode with a smile even with the wind constantly nipping at his face and neck. He pulled the collar of his heavy coat up around his face and trotted along without saying a word. He only hoped that he and Will would be fortunate enough to catch Tanney delivering prisoners when they reached Camp Butler. It was a long shot, but they knew of no other way to find their nemesis in this great war.

The trip had taken some time, as they had needed to cross the Ohio River and cover a good deal of ground. Further, they were forced to remain on constant guard as they were in enemy territory. But General Forrest was a master at using the terrain to shield his men from the enemy’s watch. Because of this reason, and perhaps because of the recent falling out, Jackson had given Forrest command over the combined forces. Taylor had not been pleased with being skipped over, but it was required for the plan to be carried out. He was a professional soldier and took it without much complaining, other than to Stephens of course.

Not much was said between Sonny and Will throughout the trip. They had talked some of Dinny and his recovery. Dinny had returned to his former strength and was learning tactical maneuvers in the hopes of being promoted. Time spent in recovery had assisted him to read all he could, and Sonny had been helpful by borrowing books from General Jackson for that purpose.

Will had heard of Sonny’s dinner with the young daughter of the Snow’s and had asked Sonny about it several times, but each time Sonny only replied with a shrug of his shoulders and looking the other way. Will was unable to see the slight smile on his face when he did so.

On the afternoon of the thirteenth day, Forrest called out to his men.

“We are here, soldiers. Those of ya going on the raid, drop all your heavier items. We shall need to be as quick as we can in securing the place. Leave them with General Taylor’s men and form up down the hill.”

His men did so, including Will. Sonny helped gather the items together and then mounted his horse again. Taylor had instructed the rest of the men to hold at the ready in the event they might be needed.

Forrest’s cavalry set off down the hill towards the Camp, as if they were making a charge. Slow at first, with increasing speed as they gained momentum. The camp was not very large. There appeared to be two large barracks and a stable set off to the side. Tents had been set up behind the barracks and the entire camp was bordered by a small spring-fed lake to the west. There was one other rectangular building that ran the length on the opposite side of a central courtyard, and Taylor presumed that it either housed the armaments or possibly a hospital for the wounded. In prisons, disease and sickness would kill a man quicker than any labor or torture might.

As Forrest’s cavalry reached their destination, they were met by a small showing of force that was quickly brushed aside. There were very few infantry assigned to the prison and there had been no cavalry assigned at all. The horses simply bowled them over in the rush past the gate. Once inside, Sonny could hear the firing of guns and the occasional clash of steel, but within less than an hour, one of Forrest’s aides rode back to Taylor’s position to tell him that the camp was secured.

Taylor turned his horse around and shouted to the remaining soldiers,

“I want half of ya to secure the perimeter and the other half to assist General Forrest in scavenging around the camp. Let his soldiers work on springing our boys. Is that clear?”

Sonny and the rest of the men called out “Sir, yes sir” in unison and went about their business. As Sonny reached the camp, he chose the long rectangular building to search in. Several of the other soldiers followed him as he entered from a side door with his pistol drawn. He did not feel like taking any chances.

It was dark and musty inside. There were a set of offices directly in front of him and a set of double doors hung crudely to his right. He saw several sets of off white gowns hanging on hooks by the doors and assumed that Taylor had been right about this being a hospital, or at least a place for the sick. The rest of the men went about searching in the offices as Sonny turned towards the double doors. When he walked through them, however, he grew sick at the smell.

Retching without a chance to hold it back, he wiped his mouth and covered his nose. The room smelled like rotten cheese and the sound of moaning made it even worse. A man stood at the other end of the room, with a mask over his mouth. He quickly turned to Sonny,

“Who the devil are you?”

Sonny raised his weapon and walked over to him.

“I’m a soldier in the Confederate army. Who the hell are you?”

The man was taken aback.

“I am a doctor. I have no weapon. I told your commander that I was simply looking after these wounded soldiers. They are not harmful. Half of them have lost a limb, or more.”

Sonny looked around and found the doctor was right.

“You go stand over there,” he said pointing towards the corner. Sonny walked up and down the rows of beds and finally stopped in front of one. The soldier lying in the bed was bandaged around his left side. He appeared to have no left arm anymore, and the sheet half covered his face. But the portion that Sonny could see made his eyes grow large.

“Thomas?”

The body did not answer. Sonny walked up beside the bed and pulled the sheet down to see the entire face. He was sure of it. This was his best friend, though looking far worse than he had ever seen him. His blond hair was matted to his head and his face was showing signs of needing a shave. Sonny started to think about shaving and realized that he had not needed to start doing it yet. He shook his head to bring him back out of his daze and placed his hand on Thomas’s head.

“Thomas…d’ya hear me?”

Thomas slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Sonny. He did not show any recognition.

“Thomas, it’s Sonny…Sonny Gamble. Ya member me?”

Thomas started to turn his head from side to side to signal no and then stopped. He spoke softly,

“Son…Sonny? Is that you?”

“Yeah, Thomas. I’m here. What you gone and done?”

“They…they took my arm.”

Sonny did not know how to respond.

“It’ll be all right. They’ll probably let ya go on home once ya get healed up.”

“Ain’t gonna grow another arm.”

“No…I spect not. But ya ain’t got to fight no more. At least there’s that. Ain’t gonna get yerself kilt.”

“Might as well have,” Thomas said softly, clearly dejected.

“Aw, now you stop that kind a talk. You don’t know how bad it can get,” Sonny replied as he found he was getting irritated. How could Thomas say such a thing when his parents were probably still alive somewhere.

“I suppose. What are ya doin’ here, Sonny?”

“We’s raidin’ the place. Don’t ya know I gone and signed up?”

“Signed up with who?”

“With the South, Thomas. You knowed I was gonna sooner or later, and Da…well, he ain’t here to stop me no more.”

Thomas closed his eyes and shook his head. He clearly did not understand what Sonny was saying to him.

“Soldier, he’s in a great deal of pain. We have him on rather heavy morphine,” the doctor interrupted. Sonny quickly leveled his gun at the doctor’s direction.

“You just stay where ya are,” he said as he felt tears begin to well up in his eyes. He fought them quickly and they stopped. As he was about to ask Thomas about the rest of his family, one of the Captains burst into the room.

“Corporal, you gather up the medical supplies in here and move back out to where General Taylor has set up a defensive position. We have company.”

Sonny did not think twice. He did not want to see Thomas like this anymore, and another part of his brain registered that maybe his wish had come true. Maybe the visitor was Tanney. Maybe he was to have his chance for revenge after all.