Chapter Six
~ Jeb was outdoors in the thick of the town with his older cousin Nathaniel, or Nate as they all called him, when they suddenly sprinted back towards home. Nate was running in front of Jeb, who was trying to catch up to his older cousin who was having more fun playing with Jeb in a 'race' home, than an actually competion with him. They moved up the ridge that overlooked the town and sped passed two of Evan Harris' guards that stood at the top of the ridge.
Jeb was quickly gaining on Nate, how was allowing him too, but doing it at a rate that even he was surprised to see Jeb directly behind him. Jeb jumped on his back, knocking him down onto the ground. Nate didn't move. Jeb was worried as he grabbed his knee and rolling in pain. Jeb ran over and asked if Nate was okay, Nate only moaned and yelled while rolling on the ground before breaking into laughter and passing Jeb in a flash.
"That's not fair I reckon!" Jeb yelled as he tried to catch up to his cousin.
"I think you need to know when someone is tryin' to fool ya I reckon," Nate yelled back as they stumbled into the fields of tall and dying grass and flowers. The leaves all fell to the ground as they ran towards their home, starting to become visible after around 15 or more minutes of running. Finally Jeb started to wind down, he began to pant like a dog and collapsed. Nate looked back to see if he should slow down for Jeb who was no longer in his sight. Nate walked back to see if he could find his younger cousin. "Jeb!? Jeb?" he yelled.
Right beside him, Jeb was crawling through the tall brush and making his way silently toward his house while Nate was nervously looking for him. Nate looked in the ditches and by the nearby logs when out of no where, Jeb appeared some 50 yards in front of him and yelled, "I think you need to mind your surroundings I reckon!"
"I reckon you gonna die when I get to ya little boy!" Nate yelled and rushed off.
"Pa! Pa! Pa!" Jeb shouted as he leaped over a log. Not too far behind him, Nate came running up but missed the log and tripped over it tumbling into the weeds and cut hay that was right beside it. "
"What is it Jeb?" asked his father as he came outdoors with his shotgun in his hand.
"Hold on their Uncle Bill," said Nate as he brushed himself off. "No need for guns at this time," he finished.
"Pa!" said Jeb tugging on his father's trousers. "You won't believe it. The men in the town are talking about all this action going on in the deep south. The Yanks have taken New Orleans and are pushing on Baton Rogue and Mobile."
"What?" said Mr. Smith with both excitment and astounishment.
"It's all true I reckon," said Nate as he pulled out a newspaper from his coat pocket. "It's all here, in black ink. A couple weeks old but news none the less."
"That's incredible," said Mr. Smith as he looked at Mr. Carlisle approaching with a wagen of hay. "Well boys," he said, "if you excuse me, me and Mr. Carlisle are off to town and cash in with our hay. See you all in an hour or two." With that, Mr. Smith walked down his patio and towards Mr. Carlisle.
Nate looked at Jeb, Jeb at Nate. "I told you to let me do all the talking," Nate said as he jokingly pushed Jeb.
"Hey! He's your uncle but my pa!" he answered and pushed Nate with great force, enough to knock him backwards and off his feet. Nate landed and began to laugh.
"Your lucky you aint a Confederate or I'd take you in and hold you captive," he said as the two entered the house. Abigal was there to take Nate's hat and place it on the hat holder and walked them to the kitchen.
"Your food Master Jeb," she said to him.
"No thanks Abigal," he replied. "I'm not that hungry."
"And what about you Mr. Nate, are you hungry?"
"Not at the moment Ms. Abigal, but I do thank you," he said and walked off to the second floor with Jeb. From the family room Dill, Jason, and the other Smith children came bulting out at Jeb and Nate screaming and yelling, asking questions left and right about the war.
It was true, a General Winfield Scott Hancock had taken control of 50,000 Union troops and with the support of the Union Navy had made it's way to the Gulf and deployed their troops at New Orleans.
"Yeah Dill," said Nate. "Says here the Confederates have around 20,000 troops under a General Pemberton is the only thing standing between the Union under Hancock and McPherson."
"Amazing," they all said as they were aweshocked at the news that honestly didn't make much sense to them.
Major General John C. Pemberton, Confederate Commander of the Army of the Mississippi. His 29,000 men are spread out across the Southern States and primarily along the Red and Mississippi Rivers. The main body of his army that moved south was unable to aid the 3,500 men that would surrender at New Orleans. Now 20,533 Confederates stand between General McPherson and Hancock and their 45,000 troops from entering Baton Rogue and the other 5,000 besieging Mobile.