Encounter at Cold Harbor by Gilbert L. Morris

Author:Gilbert L. Morris [Morris, Gilbert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8024-7886-3
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 1997-12-15T05:00:00+00:00

9

Smoke in the Wilderness

On the morning the troops departed, Leah rose early and found that Eileen was already up and preparing to go to town.

“I didn’t know you were going to see the men off, Eileen,” she said, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Eileen was fixing breakfast, and Esther was clinging to her skirts, babbling as usual. Finally Eileen stooped down, picked the child up, and kissed her. “You go play. I can’t work with you pulling at me like that.” She gave the child a gentle shove and watched as Esther ran off. Then she turned to Leah. “It’s a sad day. Nelson told me yesterday that they’d be pulling out early, and I want to be there to see him off.”

Leah took some plates out of the cabinet and set the table. “It is sad, isn’t it? It’s just awful to watch men leave and know that some of them will come back crippled and some of them … won’t come back at all.”

A shiver seemed to go over Eileen. “I went through this before. A long time ago, it seems now. I remember when John—my husband—went away. We thought he’d be back in a few weeks. The flags were flying, and the bands were playing, and it was very exciting down in Baton Rouge. But he never came back.”

Silence fell over the kitchen as the two were preoccupied with their own thoughts. Finally Eileen shook her shoulders. “Well, we can’t let the men see us sad like this. Women have to be cheerful, no matter what.”

It made Leah feel good that Eileen referred to her as a woman, not as a little girl. “That’s right,” she said. “I’ll go get Esther. Then, after breakfast, I’ll hitch up the team to the buggy. What are you going to wear?”

“The best dress I have.” Eileen smiled. “And so must you. We want to give Jeff something to remember you by.”

“And give his father the same thing, Eileen.” And Leah went off to get Esther.

To Leah it seemed that every soul in Richmond and the surrounding countryside had come to see the troops off. The town square was full. The streets were packed, and from somewhere a band played “Dixie.” There were not as many people as when the men had first gone off to war, back before Bull Run. Still, there was a desperate attempt at gaiety.

She found Jeff at the end of the main street, helping get the men together to form a parade. She had decided to wear a light blue-green dress that matched her eyes, and Jeff seemed to think she looked very pretty. He smiled and said so as she came up. “Well, aren’t you dressed up.”

“Hello, Jeff. We had to come in and see you off. Where’s your father?”

“There he is—right over there—trying to get everything ready. It’s like getting ready to go on a long trip. You’re sure to forget something. We just don’t know yet what it is.”

“Is Tom going along?”

“Yes. Pa didn’t want him to, but he just insisted on it.

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