Tear In Time Read Free Page B

words were exchanged. They both were seasoned
military men who understood each other implicitly. With a respectful salute,
the doctor turned and walked past the soldiers readying themselves at their own
stations. He could now see the woeful anxiety on their faces as he made his way
past, and he flashed them a courteous smile, trying to ease their worry.
Locating his horse, a dark brown Canadian Stallion called Bill, named for an
old friend that had died at the hands of an Indian ambush years before, he
mounted the saddle, adjusted his boots in the stirrups, and with a quick snap
of the reins, turned and rode off toward safety.
     
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     “ FIRE! ”
     
      With
his sword lifted to an exalted position above his head, Gen. Negley roared the
order to commence firing. Loud and with great authority, he repeated his simple
command over and over as he rode up the line. Instantly, his men responded and
lit the fuses to their cannons. Like violent demons, the cannons came to life
as they reported with a thunderous roar, shaking the ground under them.
     
     
Instantly, the fresh and clear morning air became a heavy cloud of smoke that
stung their eyes and seared their nostrils with the foul stench of sulfur, as
the powder quickly burned and discharged through the breech of the
cannon.  The deafening cacophony of cannon and soldier startled the birds
and jarred other wildlife from their morning routine, instinctively sending
them scrambling for cover.
     
      The
well-trained soldiers began their work. In groups of three, one loaded the
powder and wadding, one loaded the shell or heavy ball, and the third lit the
charge. They were as a machine, working in perfect sequence and timing to
efficiently deliver unto the enemy, their deadly payload.
     
     
Whistling through the air, the shells and cannonballs picked up particulates of
dust and small flying insects as they arced across the valley toward
Chattanooga, killing anything in their path before reaching their final
destination.
     
      The
valley below became awake. The loud cannon fire from above signaled the
sharpshooters below to unleash their own deadly volley of destruction. In
reflex, they pulled their triggers and sent the tiny, yet deadly pieces of lead
on their individual paths of doom, as they quickly reloaded their weapons with
practiced speed.
     
      They
had only a second to think. With a startled jolt, the town and the Confederate
soldiers both stood in place as their minds tried to quickly process the
disbelief of their forthcoming death. Unable to move, they heard the whistle of
air as the projectiles hurled toward them. Those with their backs to the volley
waited and listened as the whistle grew quickly louder, into a thunderous rush
of air. Those facing the volley watched in disbelief as they quickly trained
their eyes on the direction of sound, watching the heavy ball and tiny bullets
disrupt the air in front of them just before impact.
     
      As
fate and misfortune collided, so did shell and flesh. In the group of drilling
Confederate soldiers, the first volley hit its mark with deadly accuracy. One
unlucky private watched in horror as a shell found its mark in the chest of the
unlucky companion marching in front of him. The shell tore through his uniform,
flesh and ribcage, instantly killing him even before the shell's internal
mechanisms sensed the pressure of impact. With a great explosion, the canister
fragmented into thousands of tiny projectiles, completely disintegrating the
whole of the soldier’s existence. There would be no burial for him, as there
was not a remnant left of his body.
     
     
Continuing on their way, the fragments of the now exploded shell found their
next victim in the watching soldier. As the hot pieces of metal tore through
his body, it severed his extremities, as well as buried molten metal into his
own chest. Deflected, yet still deadly, the fragments found other victims all
around the location of impact,