“There, Matt! Amelia Court House at long last!” George Pennon’s face glowed with excitement as they were ordered to halt.
“And see the train? The cars are all neatly lined up behind. Loaded with provisions, I imagine,”Matthew remarked.
“Mmmm… I can smell the biscuits and gravy already!”
“And bacon, George, think of it!”
Sandler paced in place impatiently.
“When are we going to dig in?”
“We have to wait for the order, Matt,” Pennon said, though impatient as well.
George looked ahead to where General Lee was talking with another general. He watched like a cat ready to spring at the food in the cars as the general walked toward the men.
“We will proceed in an organized fashion to distribute the rations. NO ONE will go to the train unless instructed,” The general commanded.
George and Matthew groaned with a few others in the column.
“Why can’t we just get at it, George? We are starved!
“I guess they don’t want all the men to rip the crates apart like famished wolves.”
“That’s what we are…” Matthew muttered.
“Now… THESE men will retrieve the crates,” The general ordered, gesturing toward a group of a couple dozen men.
“Matt, that’s us! He ordered us!”
Matt looked up expectantly.
“March!” The general commanded.
Matthew and George proceeded with the other men. Upon looking around, all the men seemed as eager to get to the food as they were.
Under the general’s instructions, they yanked open the train car doors. The crates inside were stacked floor to ceiling. George, Matt, and the other men eagerly lifted the boxes down. The crates thudded noisily.
“Sure sounds full to me!” George said, smiling from ear to ear. The men around him laughed heartily.
Matthew was all smiles as he hurriedly pried open the lid of the crate. With a final effort, and a satisfying creak, the lid snapped open. When he looked in, his smile disappeared
“George, you aren’t going to believe this.”
Pennon hurried over, worried. He peered into the crate, and his face filled with horror.
All around them they heard more crates being opened and the disbelieving cries of:
“This isn’t food! Why, this is ammunition!”
“Harnesses!”
“Ammunition carts!”
George Pennon closed his eyes.
“I do not believe this is happening.”
Wow, that would be disapionting to say the least.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the next section!
Also did you know you went from past to present tense in this section? Just wondering.
Can't wait for the next section!
Indeed, my sympathy to the poor soldier.
ReplyDeleteA couple of questions, though.
Did the general know that the train was delivering weapons? If so, was the shipment intended to be delivered to the Union army or the Confederacy? Finally, what happened to the reported "bounty of food" at the courthouse itself (or did I miss that)?
Great story