The General's Christmas by C. Metzinger

Chapter 1

    Low clouds heavy with snow
hung from the overcast sky. Crows’ calls echoed from the bare
branches of the maple and black oak trees in the hedgerows. Brown
leaves, curled and crisp, cart-wheeled over the glazed grass.
Patches of lingering snow clustered around clumped weeds and the
withered blackberry bushes beside the old wooden barn.
    Inside the barn, Anna Clark
gently squeezed a cow's teat, squirting fresh warm milk into the
steaming pail in the cold. She gently massaged the teats in a
practiced manner, while thinking about the dress she was sewing for
her sister Elizabeth's Christmas present. The cow’s warm breath
formed frosty nebula in the cold, damp air. Anna was grateful for
the warmth of the cow’s body despite its musty odor.
    "Papa, someone's coming!" her sister
Elizabeth cried from the hen yard, and then ran to the house.
    Anna looked out through the partially open
barn door, but could see no one. She left her milking stool and
went to the door. Naturally shy, she stayed behind the barn door,
peering outside.
    A group of horsemen in dark blue and black
uniforms galloped toward the house. Papa had warned his daughters
about soldiers and had told them to hide if they came.
    Anna ran back into the barn, searching for a
place to hide. She spotted the ladder to the loft and deftly
climbed up. In the loft, a wide crack between the boards facing the
house provided a panoramic view of the soldiers' arrival.
    The captain of the party of five slid off his
horse and looked around.
    "Sprechen sie Deutsch?" the
captain asked her father, who stood waiting for them.
    "No, I don't speak any language but English.
What do you want?"
    The brawny soldier with a wrestler's body and
a long mustache looked at the thin, wiry man before him. His eyes
then drifted to the young lady in a bonnet and cloak standing in
the doorway of the field stone house.
    "Elizabeth, go inside! Lock the door!" her
father ordered.
    She disappeared and bolted the door shut.
    The Hessian captain gazed around at the farm.
The fields were barren and gray, with the remains of dried corn
husks scattered among the earthen ruts. Two dark horses stood in
the corral near the barn and hen house. A small wooden building
used as a smoke house for curing meat stood between the house and
barn; beyond it were an outhouse and a well.
    "We come for food," said the soldier in a
thick German accent.
    Mr. Clark shook his head,
"No, I'm afraid I can't give you any food. The British came by here
a few weeks ago and took half of everything. We just have enough to
feed ourselves this winter, and barely enough to get by. You'll
have to go somewhere else."
    The Hessian had only
comprehended the word no . He turned to the other four
soldiers and gave an order in German.
    They dismounted, and two men
headed for the barn and two toward the house.
    "I told you! I can't spare any food!" Clark
insisted.
    The soldiers ignored him and began their
search. The two at the house beat upon the door with their guns and
shouted in English, "Open!!"
    The door remained bolted, so they began
kicking and battering it with their muskets.
    "Stop! I told you, I can't give you
anything!" shouted Clark. He grabbed the big, burly man by the arm,
shouting, "Tell them to stop!"
    The burly soldier delivered
a fast, powerful punch to Clark's face. He reeled backwards,
sprawling upon the ground. The burly captain shouted more orders in
German.
    Two soldiers opened the
corral and led the horses out. They walked them to the barn and
opened the door.
    " Schau mal!" they shouted.
    Inside the barn they found a
wagon and sacks of wheat, oats, corn, and a small barrel of
molasses. One soldier hitched up the horses while the other loaded
the sacks of grain and the barrel of molasses into the wagon. The
captain searched for weapons and tools. He passed by shovels, a
plow, and two rakes, but he took the long-handled ax. They loaded
some bales of hay and extra tackle for the horses, including two
saddles. The