Chapter One
Mr. Smith awoke and walked downstairs to fill his cup with hot tea as he looked outside, something had caught his eyes. A man on horseback was riding towards his home with the Carlisle's rushing over on foot. The man on horseback racing towards his home was the town doctor Mr. Richardson galloping forth with haste. Mr. Smith rushed out of his home holding his hat in place as he put it on running out of the door into the fields.
"What is the matter?"
"Did you not get the news Will?" asked Dr. Richardson to his colleague.
"What news?"
"The Yanks and Rebs are gathering up outside our plains over the hill as we speak, only a few miles away. Not army size but both sides have at least a thousand or more men at their hands."
"Wait here," said Mr. Smith as he rushed back into his home with a fury. He ran up the stairs yelling, "Rebecca! Rebecca get the kids! Is Tom still in his room?"
"I don't know Will," she answered from her room as she exited with her night gown holding her youngest son Dill by the hands.
Mr. Smith ran quickly into his son's room and opened the door with a fury. His head looked side-to-side for his son, Tom was no where to be found. He rushed in and began to scream out his son's name, looking all across the room and flipping his son's own bed and looked back at his wife who had a worried face, "He's gone. He's not here."
From across the hall Jeb, unable to ignore the panic gripping his father and mother called out, "Bill is gone too!"
"Jeb! Is that you?" questioned his Pa.
"Yes! Bill is gone too!"
"Bill?" screamed Mrs. Smith hysterically.
"God dammit!" Mr. Smith said as he grapped his coat from his room and rushed down the stairs passing his family, Jeb in particular who only stood watching his father run back down and outside to his friends waiting beside his door in the green fields.
"What is it Will?" asked Dr. Richardson.
"James? Where is the battle taking place?"
"Over the hills about three miles away."
"Take me there," Mr. Smith, "I think both of my sons are over there!"
"Quick then, there is no time to waste."
"I'm coming then too," said Mr. Carlisle as the three men rushed off into the road.
Mrs. Smith came to the front door, "Will! Where are you going?"
"Becca! Just stay in the home and watch the kids!" exclaimed Mr. Smith on the road, throwing on his overcoat in the process.
Jeb looked up to his mother, "Ma, where is Pa going?"
"I don't know Jeb, I don't know," she answered to her now oldest son and child looking him directly in the face, with his bright blue eyes and golden hair staring at her.
Back in town about one mile from his home Mr. Smith, Carlisle and Richardson rushed into town to the noise of gunfire and cannon fire off in the distance. James Richardson turned to the town mayor who was stopping them in the streets. "James, I'm afraid I don't want you of all people to see the spectacle occuring outside of town."
"It's not me," he said, "Will has two sons likely in the battlefield."
"Tom and Bill?" questioned the mayor.
"Yeah, Tom had already enlisted and not to be outdone Bill probably joined him or went to see his brother in battle."
"The gunfire has been going on for the better half of an hour or so," said the mayor to Mr. Smith.
From their location in the center of town the men's attention was turned behind them, screaming women and men and children came rushing down the main road towards them. In the lead of the pack of rushing back people was a man in a blue uniform wielding a sword who frantically looked down at the men as the hysterical people passed them.
"Captain Hooks, U.S. Army," the man said holding his sword up at his face as he introduced himself, "I advise you all leave the town immediatley."
"Why?"
A cannon ball exploded nearby shattering the left side of the town bar. The men looked at the rather minor damages and turned back to the officer on horseback who looked behind him, "That's why!" he said pointing behind him.
From the main road as the last civilians began to flood of towards the hills, many soldiers wielding rifles were on the run towards the town, spontaniously pausing and shooting back at their opponents. The captain rode off to attempt to rally the retreating Union soldiers fleeing into town.
"Get down and hide!" said the mayor as he fled towards the hill away from the town. Dr. Richardson turned his horse and looked down at Mr. Carlisle and Smith.
"Come, let's leave!"
A bullet whizzed past the head of Mr. Smith who ducked afterwards as he looked at the smoke and chaos gripping the Yankee soldiers running back into town. He turned his attention to the captain on horseback shouting out at his men.
"Come on boys, rally! Stop those damn rebels! Save the townsfolk!" he yelled to his fleeing soldiers as they passed him, intended only on saving their own lives, many of whom had lost their firearms in the flood back to the town. "Have you no honor? Have you no honor!?"
From outside the town, from a nearby tree a Rebel soldier took aim at the Union officer. Captain Hooks looked frantically at his soldiers and attempted to rally, again to no avail.
"Captain, run for you life," said one of his soldiers as he passed him.
Mr. Smith still stood standing in the middle of the street being engulfed by a wave of blue-clad soldiers bumping into him.
From horseback, Carlisle and Richardson looked down at William Smith, "Are you coming?" No answer, "Come on, let's go!" said Dr. Richardson to his horse as he turned the horse about face and fled with the Union soldiers.
A young Union soldier accidentally ran head on into Mr. Smith, knocking both of them over in the hit. The soldier got up and extended his hand out to the older gentlemen, "Here, I'll help you up," he said. As the face of the man could be seen the soldier took a deep and hard look at him, "Dad?"
"Tom?"
"Come on father, let's get outta here!" his son said as he grabbed his father's hand and rushed him along the road with the rest of his fleeing comrades.
Captain Hooks on horseback looked at the mess in the town and turned about to face his soldiers, still hoping there was a chance to rally them, "Come on boys, God save the U..." the captain was stroke down as he fell from his horse straight to the ground as the Confederate soldiers pressed into the town, chasing after the Yanks.
Bill, who had yet to fire a shot with his musket took aim and finally shot, sending a blue-clad soldier falling to the street. Beside him a young lieutenant shouting out, "Come on boys! We got these damn Yankee bastards running for their lives. Quick and we can whip 'em!" Bill took his musket from firing position into charging position and began to scream as he rushed forward into his own hometown.
By dusk the dust had settled over the usually quiet Kentuckian town. Bill slipped away from his lines under the cover of smoke and looked to return to his home. There, Tom wasn't with his regiment either, scattered all across the plains and fields he and several other soldiers found refuge at his home. Mrs. Smith rushed over to her son.
"Ma, there are other soldiers here," her son said quickly.
"Where's Bill?" she aksed her husband.
Mr. Smith blankly turned to her, "I don't know."