A small story

[Isle of Wight County Grey]

Waking up after a dreadful night under the stars, I grumbled under my breath as our troops started to pack up for our march. Our colonel, Colston said that we did a good job at the third day's fight in Gettysburg, but their was on problem with that statement, all we did was stay in reserve for a necessary reason of if the yankees strike back. Grabbing a unpleasant looking piece of meat and a moldy hunk of hardtack, we set out to march back into Virginia. On the march several of our men started to sing Dixieland and then our band striked it up so we sanged it till it was getting dark. Sadly, tonight I had the shift for being on watch so I had to stay up until 3 in the morning because someone (not mentioning names) forgot about it and dozed off for another 2 hours.


Daytime, once again we began to march again until a lonely rider from probably Lee's staff came onto the colonel's tent and gave him a message.
He then yell to everyone to come sit around him so he could tell the new dispatch he received from the front. In his own words he said, " Now boys, today we were going to march back home to southeastern Virginia to where your homes are but, we received a dispatch. A dispatch straight from gen'ral Lee himself. By his order we are to march a swiftly as possible to Petersburg for assistance of protecting it against Grant or maybe Sherman, them bastards," said Colston. Everyone around me said "Hear, hear." And then we were off marching and trudging through wood and marsh, until shots rang out. I notice that their were a couple of yankee in a skirmish line so we had to stop and rank up an blast them to smithereens. Until I saw a yankee sniper aimed toward colonel Colston, I was about to yell until I had an idea . . .


To Be Continued