his feet, straightening his uniform. She scrambled up to put her clothes in order. “What do you mean, ‘talk about what to do with me’? I know what I’m going to do, Travis. I’m going to farm this land. The scuppernong vines are coming up. You should see them!” Her voice trembled with excitement. “I might make enough from the crop this year to pay for repairing my father’s bee hives. Then, from the honey, I can save money to think about planting tobacco next year. Poppa said this land is good for tobacco. I can find a job in town to tide me over till I can get on my feet. Maybe I can even get a loan at the bank to build a small farmhouse.”
He whirled around, eyes wide. “Are you crazy, woman? You talk nonsense. We don’t know yet what the impact of the North’s victory will be upon the South. Your land may be taken from you. Have you thought about that?”
Her chin jutted upward in the stubborn gesture that told Travis there was no point in trying to argue with her now. But she would see, he thought wearily. War changes everything, and life as she had known it would never return.
“We’ll talk later,” he said, forcing a smile and holding out his hands to her. “It’s enough for now to know that we have an understanding, Kitty. I love you, and you say you love me. For now, that’s enough to build on.”
She took his hand and returned his smile. “You’ll see, Travis Coltrane.” She was bubbling with enthusiasm as they made their way out of the woods. “This farm will one day be the most prosperous in all of Wayne County. It will be a fine place to raise a family.”
“Kitty, I don’t…” He had stopped walking and stood staring down at her, searching her eyes, seeing such a happy glow there that he could not go on. He could not tell her that her dreams would not come true. He could not tell her that it was not his intention to settle in North Carolina. His home was the Louisiana bayou, and it was there he wanted to take her. He would have to tell her these things later.
“Later,” he said gruffly, tugging at her hand to pull her along to where Sam Bucher waited on the other side of the field. “Later, I will tell you, Kitty. For now, there are things to be done.”
And she squeezed his hand, confident in their love, sure that only joy and happiness lay ahead. She did not see the shadows in Travis Coltrane’s eyes.
Chapter Two
It had been General William T. Sherman’s plan from the time he left Savannah, Georgia, to have all available men and armies of the North meet at Goldsboro, North Carolina, which was the most important rail supply center for the Confederate armies around Richmond. General Joseph E. Johnston, with his Army of Tennessee, had not been sure of Sherman’s route until after he had left Fayetteville, North Carolina. It had appeared that Sherman was heading for Raleigh, but when his left wing made a right turn along the Goldsboro road, just ten miles out of Fayetteville, his plan became clear.
General Johnston had called on Generals Bragg, Hardee and Hampton to join him in a surprise attack on Sherman’s left wing before Sherman could consolidate all his armies in Goldsboro. These three small Confederate armies numbered only twenty thousand men. They knew that their only chance to destroy Sherman’s larger army would be a surprise attack on the flank of a divided army. In all, Sherman had sixty thousand men, divided into three sections—left and right wings, and middle army.
Johnston chose to attack the extreme left wing of Sherman’s army approaching from Fayetteville in the west, thinking this the weakest and most spread out segment of the armies. So he hurried from Smithfield where he had been concentrating men and supplies to cut Sherman off, reaching Bentonville almost a day ahead of Sherman.
For three days the battle raged, from March 19 to March 21, 1865. More than one hundred thousand troops were involved. The first day’s battle was won by the
He whirled around, eyes wide. “Are you crazy, woman? You talk nonsense. We don’t know yet what the impact of the North’s victory will be upon the South. Your land may be taken from you. Have you thought about that?”
Her chin jutted upward in the stubborn gesture that told Travis there was no point in trying to argue with her now. But she would see, he thought wearily. War changes everything, and life as she had known it would never return.
“We’ll talk later,” he said, forcing a smile and holding out his hands to her. “It’s enough for now to know that we have an understanding, Kitty. I love you, and you say you love me. For now, that’s enough to build on.”
She took his hand and returned his smile. “You’ll see, Travis Coltrane.” She was bubbling with enthusiasm as they made their way out of the woods. “This farm will one day be the most prosperous in all of Wayne County. It will be a fine place to raise a family.”
“Kitty, I don’t…” He had stopped walking and stood staring down at her, searching her eyes, seeing such a happy glow there that he could not go on. He could not tell her that her dreams would not come true. He could not tell her that it was not his intention to settle in North Carolina. His home was the Louisiana bayou, and it was there he wanted to take her. He would have to tell her these things later.
“Later,” he said gruffly, tugging at her hand to pull her along to where Sam Bucher waited on the other side of the field. “Later, I will tell you, Kitty. For now, there are things to be done.”
And she squeezed his hand, confident in their love, sure that only joy and happiness lay ahead. She did not see the shadows in Travis Coltrane’s eyes.
Chapter Two
It had been General William T. Sherman’s plan from the time he left Savannah, Georgia, to have all available men and armies of the North meet at Goldsboro, North Carolina, which was the most important rail supply center for the Confederate armies around Richmond. General Joseph E. Johnston, with his Army of Tennessee, had not been sure of Sherman’s route until after he had left Fayetteville, North Carolina. It had appeared that Sherman was heading for Raleigh, but when his left wing made a right turn along the Goldsboro road, just ten miles out of Fayetteville, his plan became clear.
General Johnston had called on Generals Bragg, Hardee and Hampton to join him in a surprise attack on Sherman’s left wing before Sherman could consolidate all his armies in Goldsboro. These three small Confederate armies numbered only twenty thousand men. They knew that their only chance to destroy Sherman’s larger army would be a surprise attack on the flank of a divided army. In all, Sherman had sixty thousand men, divided into three sections—left and right wings, and middle army.
Johnston chose to attack the extreme left wing of Sherman’s army approaching from Fayetteville in the west, thinking this the weakest and most spread out segment of the armies. So he hurried from Smithfield where he had been concentrating men and supplies to cut Sherman off, reaching Bentonville almost a day ahead of Sherman.
For three days the battle raged, from March 19 to March 21, 1865. More than one hundred thousand troops were involved. The first day’s battle was won by the
Similar Books
Rebel Waltz
Kay Hooper
The Monster of Shiversands Cove
Emma Fischel
The Birthday Party of No Return!
R. L. Stine
Killer: An Alex Delaware Novel
Jonathan Kellerman
Minty
M. Garnet
The Next Thing I Knew (Heavenly)
John Corwin
The Whisperers
John Connolly
Doctor Who: The Massacre
John Lucarotti
Human Sister
Jim Bainbridge
Laurinda
Alice Pung