Death is a Vengeance by J.C. Graves

Author:J.C. Graves
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Western, Civil War, Refugees, Vengeance, Snipers, Bushwhackers, sharpshooter, Action, J.C. Graves
Publisher: Summit Bay Press, Olympia WA
Published: 2020-05-01T00:00:00+00:00

WHEN FIRST SERGEANT O’Kurle and the troopers arrived in Atlanta, they were trail weary and soaking wet; a drenching thunderstorm accompanying them the last four miles.

Kurly said, “Fish me out a bar of that lye soap, Private Roosh, so’s I can get cleaned up as we go along.”

Sergeant Herb laughed. “Well, you might smell better at that.”

“What? I get a bath at least once a week.”

The troopers smiled.

“More like once a month, First Sergeant,” Private Roosh said. “Besides, you don’t even own a bar of soap.”

They laughed more; the steady rain temporarily forgotten.

Despite spending years in the saddle, they were all stiff, cold, and tired of riding for twenty-five straight days.

Kurly said, “There should be a Union encampment outside Atlanta somewhere. We’ll circle around the eastern side first and see what we find.”

The rain finally let up and Kurly reported to Colonel Brightman at three in the afternoon.

“Your Captain Feldberg is in the hospital,” the colonel said, handing First Sergeant O’Kurle a piece of paper. “Here’s his report.”

Kurly read the two paragraphs. “Hm. Captain James McKay pushed him off the train without provocation. Nearly killed him. Where’s the hospital, sir?”

In the hospital, Kurly and Sergeant Herb found the captain in a long room with ten other men, smelling of antiseptic and urine. They had seen worse. A series of ropes and pulleys suspended the captain’s left leg above the bed.

Kurly sat in the chair next to the bed, gently touching the captain’s shoulder to wake him.

“First Sergeant O’Kurle!” Captain Feldberg shouted.

“Yes sir, ‘tis me and the boys, sir.”

“Did you catch them?”

“Catch who?”

“The other rangers that went south?”

“No, we didn’t see them. When we heard you were hurt, we rushed here to help.”

“But how did you hear about all this?” He looked at his leg.

“Sergeant Skip sent a telegram to Jacksonville, Florida.”

“You rode all the way back here?”

“Eight days, riding steady.”

Kurly related how they thought they might be on the trail of someone, but it petered out by the time they got to Jacksonville. Without more direction, they decided to come to Atlanta.

He handed the telegram to the captain. “See how it reads? Almost sounds like all the rangers were here.”

“It does. Unfortunate, because it was only two of the five wagons.”

Sergeant Herb sat in a chair against the wall, rigid as a statue, the only hint of a smile in his eyes.

Kurly took back the telegram. “Nice teeth.”

“The dentist came to my room here and fitted them. Lost the first set in the fall from the train. Fortunately, he still had the molds. But the scoundrel charged me more for the second set.”

Sergeant Herb said, “So the rangers escaped on the train?”

“That’s right. Apparently, they booked passage for their wagons and animals in two sidecars. I chased down the train and managed to get onboard. Captain McKay surprised me and pushed me off.”

“What did he say?” Herb asked, suddenly alert.

Captain Feldberg looked at his suspended foot. “He wondered why we were chasing them.”

Kurly realized what Sergeant Herb had done. “You

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