CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The Request
Luke climbs back upon his wagon. Catherine is beside herself; she doesn’t know whether to cry or faint. “Luke, I was so terrified, I thought those men were going to kill us.”
Luke grins, as he urges his mules forward, “I believe they thought so too, but we had to change their minds! Some people you can talk to, others must be persuaded.”
“But, Luke aren’t you going to give those men a proper burial?”
“What they got is as fitting as they deserve, gitty up there mules, we got things to do and places to go.”
Sam speaks to Nate as they ride toward Scarlettsville, “I believe Luke is a man of few words.”
“Yeah, he shore is! And them fellows should’ve been listenin’ to the few ones he said!”
“How much further do you think it is to Scarlettsville, Nate?”
“Don’t know for sure Sam, but wes should be there sometimes by the end of the week, if these scoundrels will leave us be.”
Pouring the remains of his coffee into the fire that night Luke tells them to expect to be at Scarlett around noon on Friday. “You know,” he said, “I’ve lived in these wagons and slept beside this campfire so long, I believe I’m going to miss this.”
Nate rubs his backside, “I’s for one ain’t gonna miss that wagon seat that’s for shore, and I’s believes I’s won’t never been able to sleep in a nuther soft bed!”
SCARLETT PLANTATION
Stopped at the front gate Luke is bewildered. Where is Scarlett’s main house? It is no longer there! Doc Crawford only spoke of something happening to Isaac, his uncle, but he didn’t say anything about the big house being burned. If the house is gone Luke figures his family must be staying in the carriage house, provided they are still here.
Heading up the driveway Luke pulls the .44 and fires off a couple of rounds to announce their arrival. By the time, they arrive at the house the entire family is assembled awaiting the two wagons. Malinda recognizes Luke as the lead wagon turns the last bend in the driveway – she cannot wait. Running down the drive, she can only yell, “Luke! Luke!”
Sary sees Nate and throws her hands into the air, “Glory be to God! Thanks you oh Lord! Thanks you fer deliverin’ my child home to me.”
Catherine was introduced to everyone, and now all are sitting around in the sitting room. Cool water is served with just a sprig of mint, but Luke cannot wait, he must know what has happened.
Uncle Dave tells the whole story of the Union deserters and the shoot-out in Scarlett’s front yard. Choking back tears Uncle Dave explains Isaac’s heroic attempt to stop the bandits, and how he got killed for his efforts. How Mizz Linda Lou was killed in the shoot-out too. After plundering the main house, they set it ablaze. The only place the family now has to live is in the carriage house. He explains Scarlett has no money, no one to work and nothing to work with if anyone was available. All the livestock has been stolen or confiscated by the army, both North and South. He doesn’t know what they are going to do.
Later everyone has gone to bed except Luke who sits on the porch steps; Kentuck lies beside him both watch the moon slowly rising over the trees toward the east. The moonlight reflects off Scarlett’s lily pond giving the night a peaceful and pastoral feeling. Malinda quietly opens the screen door walks across the porch and sits down beside her son. The night is crisp and cold. She wraps her arm around Luke’s, pulls her shawl tight, and says, “I’m so glad to get you home Luke. Aren’t you a little cold out here?”
Patting her on the hand, “I’m glad to be home too Mother, but Nate and I have lived so long outside I didn’t even notice the chill in the air.”
Malinda asked why in all the years he had been gone he never posted a letter to her or why did she not hear from his father or Matthew? Even in the dim light Malinda could see the look of amazement on Luke’s face. He explained he had written dozens of times, but he never received a letter from her or anyone back home. He told her he knew his father and Matthew had been sending posts regularly too, but they had never received an answer either.
“Luke, I have been dying every since you arrived to ask: what about your father and Matthew? If it’s bad, I want to know. You don’t know what it has been like for the past three years without a word from any of you. I have almost gone out of my mind worrying.”
Luke takes his mother’s hand, “The last time I saw Father or Matthew Mother was during the Battle of Gettysburg. That was back in July of ’63. We were all together on the first day.”
“Wait Luke, I thought Matthew was with Stonewall as an aide or something.”
“He was Mother, but after Cousin Stonewall was killed Matthew requested a transfer to be with me and Father. As I said, on the first day of the fight at Gettysburg we were together, but we didn’t see much action that first day. On the 2nd day they moved our outfit, the 48th Alabama to a place known as the Devil’s Den. We were supposed to take a hill called Little Round Top. The area at the foot of the hill, Mother, is covered with huge boulders, some must weigh tons. During the initial charge, we all made it through the tall grass to the large rocks, but a Yankee stabbed Father in the chest with a bayonet during the Yanks counter attack.”
‘”Son, I hate to interrupt, but what is a bayonet?”
“Mother, it is a long knife stuck on the end of our rifles. It is about the size of your finger and about fifteen or sixteen long and razor sharp. Understand? All right, I worked my way over to him, and he was bleeding pretty badly. About this time, Matthew came rushing out of the grass, just as I received a bullet or rock fragment to my head. I was bleeding pretty badly, so I left Father with him while I went to find some medical help for Father and myself.”
“Did you get help and get back to Robert?”
Luke relates to her how he found a couple of litter bearers, but the battle was raging so hot and furious he could not return to the spot where his father received his wound. Malinda asks about Matthew.
“Mother, the next day I returned to our company and found Matthew, he said the last time he saw Father two litter bearers were carrying him away. Matthew did not know if he was still alive or not. Matthew and I did not have much time to talk; we were getting ready to mount an assault on the Yankee line. They were dug in on a hill about a mile away, called Cemetery Ridge. They sure named it right, because both sides sure left a lot of dead fellows up there.”
Luke described the men of Pickett’s Division’s assault across the field and how Matthew was right beside him, step by step, as they ran toward the split-rail fence. Tears began to form in his eyes as he told his mother how Matthew was shot trying to climb over the fence, but he could not stop and help. He explained the bullets flying around sounded like a nest of hornets had gotten loose. Luke said he ran a few yards toward the rock wall on Cemetery Ridge, but turned to look back toward the split-rail fence trying to see Matthew; however, the smoke was so dense he was unable to see the fence. Finally, he advanced to meet the Yankees in hand-to-hand fighting, but the re-enforced Yankees overcame the South’s forces. He then went on to tell her the whole story of his capture to the very minute they were sitting on the porch. By then it was close to midnight.
They sit for a few minutes listening to the crickets and tree frogs – in the distance they could hear the cooing of a mourning dove. “Luke,” Malinda said solemnly, “I must ask: do you think your father and brother are dead?”
“Mother, I do not know – I know both were still alive when I last saw them, but I wish I knew what happened to them later. I tried to find out, but I just do not have the answers Mother.”
“Luke, son, I’ve never asked you much, but now I’m asking, what do you really think?”
“Mother, I cannot lie to you – I will say they did not survive! I think both are dead.”
Next morning at breakfast, Ora Lee tells Luke she is glad that he and his new wife Catherine, along with Nate and Sam, have joined them at Scarlett; however she is ashamed she has nothing to offe
r them, she is practically destitute.
Luke thinks for a moment, then replies, “We have a wagon full of rifles, pistols, ammunition and saddles. I believe I can go into Scarlettsville and sell them for enough money to get us some food and enough supplies to get the spring planting started.”
“But, Luke we have no hands to help!”
“Well now, there’s me, Nate, Sam and Uncle Dave...”
“Don’t forget me Luke, I can help too,” chimed in Catherine.
“Yes, you’re right Catherine, you can help and so can Mother and Ora Lee. We may not be good farmers, but I believe we’ll do for a start. We’ve survived some hard times in the past I know we will survive this troublesome time too.
From across the table Malinda asks, “Once we finish the spring planting, I ask one favor?”
“Certainly Mother, anything.”
“Luke I want you to take a journey with me.”
“Yes, Mother of course, where do you want to go.”
“Son, I want to go to the battlefield at Gettysburg. I want to see for myself where Robert and Matthew were killed. I want to see if there are graves for them. I want to talk to the local people and see if any might remember them. I don’t know Luke; I just have this strange urge that I must go to that terrible place. The feeling seems to be pulling at my insides. I cannot describe it, I must go, sometimes Mother’s have a sixth sense about things such as this.”
Luke knows it is of no use to argue, “I understand Mother, I promise you here and now, if you need to go to Gettysburg I will take you.”
Catherine sets her cup down, “And I will consider it an honor if you allow me to accompany you Mrs. Scarburg.”
Malinda turns to Catherine, “My dear, yes you can go if you accept one condition.”
“Certainly, Mrs. Scarburg, what is it?”
“Please dear, call me Malinda. Mrs. Scarburg makes me feel too old.’
Sam and Nate both voice their desire to go to Gettysburg too, but Luke says someone must stay and oversee the plantation. Besides he says, they have to get the Mill back up and running too.