ends.”
A stomping on the stairs ended their conversation. Moments later, Thomas pushed open the door, walked in, and slumped down into his chair.
May appeared at the door. “You be ready for dinner, Master Cromwell?”
Thomas shook his head heavily. “Give me about twenty minutes, please, May.” His voice was hoarse and strained.
“Yes’suh!” The door swung shut soundlessly as May disappeared back into the kitchen.
Carrie and Jeremy both waited for her father to speak and only nodded at Janie when she slipped in to join them. The rest of the boarders had eaten hours before. No one else would be joining them.
Carrie could tell by the broken look in his eyes that the news wasn’t good - not that there was a chance of good news at this point. She reached over and took her father’s hand. “Jeremy said you received a new document before you left the Capitol,” she said gently, praying it wasn’t a new list of dead that had Robert’s name on it. She took deep breaths while trying to hold the image of the rainbow in her heart.
“Yes,” Thomas said hoarsely. “General J.E.B. Stuart just died.”
His three listeners groaned in unison. Carrie’s eyes filled with tears as she thought of the dashing young cavalry commander who had won the hearts of the entire Confederacy with his flamboyant attitude accented by the long black swooping plume he always wore on his hat.
Thomas shook his head and focused his eyes on Carrie and Janie. “This is the first chance we’ve really had to talk since the fighting started up again.”
“I’d like you to give us a basic idea of what has happened,” Carrie said quietly.
“I’m afraid it’s all bad news,” Thomas admitted. “The fighting in The Wilderness was basically a tactical loss for Grant, but we lost almost eight thousand men making it happen.” He paused for a long moment and stared out the window. “Instead of leaving, Grant took his troops and headed to Spotsylvania Courthouse. Lee figured that’s what he was doing, and beat him there, getting his army into the trenches before Grant arrived.”
Carrie felt a moment of gladness that Robert had the safety of the trenches to protect him, for she was quite certain he was right in the midst of the fighting.
“They’ve been fighting ever since. The Union is taking much heavier losses than we are, but our losses are more devastating,” he finished.
Jeremy scowled. “Grant knows he has a bigger army. He can afford to let more of them die.”
Thomas stared at him wearily. “That’s true. We’re simply running out of men.”
“What happened to General Stuart?” Janie asked, her face white and set.
“He was sent out with his troops to stop a cavalry raid of close to ten thousand men led by Sheridan. They met at Yellow Tavern….” His voice trailed away, and then he straightened his slumped shoulders. “Stuart has pulled off miraculous feats before, but I don’t think he had a chance with this one. He was outnumbered two to one, and the Union army has those new rapid-fire repeating carbines I’ve heard about. Most of our boys were killed.” He stared out the window at the magnolia tree in full bloom. “Stuart was wounded. They brought him here, but they couldn’t save him. He’s gone.”
He’s gone….
The words echoed through the parlor. Carrie knew they reflected the loss of more than a popular Confederate officer.
They reflected the loss of more hope, the ebbing away of the belief that the South might somehow win this war after all. The three years they had already lived through under siege had all been horrible, but just eight days into the spring of 1864 made it clear they had not seen true horror before.
Carrie could only imagine how many more men had died in the five days of fighting at Spotsylvania. The steady stream of ambulance wagons said the number would be higher than even she dreaded. She
A stomping on the stairs ended their conversation. Moments later, Thomas pushed open the door, walked in, and slumped down into his chair.
May appeared at the door. “You be ready for dinner, Master Cromwell?”
Thomas shook his head heavily. “Give me about twenty minutes, please, May.” His voice was hoarse and strained.
“Yes’suh!” The door swung shut soundlessly as May disappeared back into the kitchen.
Carrie and Jeremy both waited for her father to speak and only nodded at Janie when she slipped in to join them. The rest of the boarders had eaten hours before. No one else would be joining them.
Carrie could tell by the broken look in his eyes that the news wasn’t good - not that there was a chance of good news at this point. She reached over and took her father’s hand. “Jeremy said you received a new document before you left the Capitol,” she said gently, praying it wasn’t a new list of dead that had Robert’s name on it. She took deep breaths while trying to hold the image of the rainbow in her heart.
“Yes,” Thomas said hoarsely. “General J.E.B. Stuart just died.”
His three listeners groaned in unison. Carrie’s eyes filled with tears as she thought of the dashing young cavalry commander who had won the hearts of the entire Confederacy with his flamboyant attitude accented by the long black swooping plume he always wore on his hat.
Thomas shook his head and focused his eyes on Carrie and Janie. “This is the first chance we’ve really had to talk since the fighting started up again.”
“I’d like you to give us a basic idea of what has happened,” Carrie said quietly.
“I’m afraid it’s all bad news,” Thomas admitted. “The fighting in The Wilderness was basically a tactical loss for Grant, but we lost almost eight thousand men making it happen.” He paused for a long moment and stared out the window. “Instead of leaving, Grant took his troops and headed to Spotsylvania Courthouse. Lee figured that’s what he was doing, and beat him there, getting his army into the trenches before Grant arrived.”
Carrie felt a moment of gladness that Robert had the safety of the trenches to protect him, for she was quite certain he was right in the midst of the fighting.
“They’ve been fighting ever since. The Union is taking much heavier losses than we are, but our losses are more devastating,” he finished.
Jeremy scowled. “Grant knows he has a bigger army. He can afford to let more of them die.”
Thomas stared at him wearily. “That’s true. We’re simply running out of men.”
“What happened to General Stuart?” Janie asked, her face white and set.
“He was sent out with his troops to stop a cavalry raid of close to ten thousand men led by Sheridan. They met at Yellow Tavern….” His voice trailed away, and then he straightened his slumped shoulders. “Stuart has pulled off miraculous feats before, but I don’t think he had a chance with this one. He was outnumbered two to one, and the Union army has those new rapid-fire repeating carbines I’ve heard about. Most of our boys were killed.” He stared out the window at the magnolia tree in full bloom. “Stuart was wounded. They brought him here, but they couldn’t save him. He’s gone.”
He’s gone….
The words echoed through the parlor. Carrie knew they reflected the loss of more than a popular Confederate officer.
They reflected the loss of more hope, the ebbing away of the belief that the South might somehow win this war after all. The three years they had already lived through under siege had all been horrible, but just eight days into the spring of 1864 made it clear they had not seen true horror before.
Carrie could only imagine how many more men had died in the five days of fighting at Spotsylvania. The steady stream of ambulance wagons said the number would be higher than even she dreaded. She
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