Corn Silk Days Part 7

Chapter Seven: Katrina.

The Sunday morning had dawned clear-skied and tranquil, the stillness pierced only by the crowing of the roosters and the cry of Elizabeth Jane as her uterine contractions intensified. She pushed Anna Gerber's hand away from her face as she smelled the odor of ether on the cloth the midwife held. "No, not that. It's okay," she said as the pain subsided.

Anna complied and asked, "Are you sure, honey?"

"I'm fine. I don't want that."

"All right, we'll do without it," Anna told her as she set the cloth aside. "But if you change your mind, you tell me."

Elizabeth Jane nodded. She took a deep breath as the contraction began again. "Ooh, here it comes." This time the pain was even greater but Elizabeth Jane had been through this before and she knew it would be over soon. As the pain again subsided, she laughed lightly. "Gosh, how you forget. Maybe G.o.d gives us the gift of forgetfulness so we can't recall how intense the pain is. If we remembered we would do all we could not to get pregnant."

Catherine, seated alongside the bed, agreed. "It is a gift from G.o.d."

Anna said, "I've delivered near one hundred fifty babies in my day and I would agree that if mothers could remember what they go through I'd be looking for something else to do with my time. And maybe it would be counseling the husbands whose wives refuse to sleep in the same bed with them." She laughed. "Let the men have the babies and we'd see how many little ones would be running around."

Anna wiped Elizabeth Jane's forehead with a cool cloth as the next pain arrived. She told her, "Now push ... push ... that's it, that's a girl. Push."

Elizabeth Jane was beginning to feel exhaustion as the frequency and intensity of the contractions increased. She sighed deeply as the pain let up. She had lost all track of time but it seemed like it had been hours since her labor pains had begun. She closed her eyes and grimaced as the pain returned.

Anna again instructed, "Push, push, that's good." She moved from Elizabeth Jane's side and to the end of the bed and checked the head of the baby. "It won't be too long, honey, just a few more pushes."

Catherine moved to the side of the bed where Anna had been. She softly stroked her daughter's face and took her hand as the next contraction came. Elizabeth Jane squeezed her hand tight as she beardown. She screamed out as the pain became agonizing. "Oh, Mama!"

Catherine's voice was calm as she said, "Your baby will be here real soon, honey, not much longer."

Again the pain. Elizabeth Jane was aware of the pressure of her mother's hands on her abdomen and her soothing words but it seemed as if she was in an underground cave and her mother was far off. During the intensity of the pain that was now almost ongoing, everything happening seemed like a weird dream.

She could hear Mrs. Gerber telling her to push, but it seemed she, too, was far off. Her mind wandered away from the reality of the moment and she felt as if she was sinking into a black void. In the surrealness, it became very bright and she could see Silas as he reached his hand out to her. She could hear cannons firing and screams as Silas moved toward her. In the chaos, soldiers were running, rifles were firing, cannons were thundering, soldiers on horseback went galloping by. In the pandemonium, the loudness of the gunfire was hurting her ears. She felt Silas's hand take hers but she could no longer see him. She heard a familiar cry. The cry came again. She realized it was her own voice crying out. Then a momentary silence. Out of silence came another cry, a cry that was also a familiar one. Then she heard her mother's voice, "Janie, it's a girl!"

Catherine's words brought Elizabeth Jane back to the present and she realized the cry was her baby's cry. Exhausted, Elizabeth Jane struggled to lift her head to see her baby. Anna raised the infant into the air for Elizabeth Jane to see. The sight of her tiny baby brought tears of joy. She said, "Oh, Mama, I have my little girl." She laid her head back onto the pillow and sighed deeply with relief. Then she remembered Silas. With the mixture of fatigue and anger at his absence at such a time, she began to sob. "Mama, why isn't Silas here with me. Why? He should be here!"

"Calm down, Janie," Catherine said soothingly as she gently stroked Elizabeth Jane's forehead. "You just think about your baby right now, honey. Don't think about anything else."

In a few moments, Elizabeth Jane calmed and wiped her tears from her face with the edge of the bed sheet. "I'm sorry, Mama."

"It's okay, honey," Catherine said with a soft smile on her lips.

Anna wrapped the baby in a blanket and handed her to Elizabeth Jane. As she cuddled the baby against her body, all thoughts of Silas left and was replaced by a strong feeling of awe. She gently rubbed her finger against the soft cheek of her baby girl and the baby uttered a whimper and her tiny hands thrashed slightly in the air.

"It's okay, sweetie, your Mommy has you," Elizabeth Jane said softly. She put her lips to the tiny hand and kissed it.

Catherine told her daughter, "As soon as we get you all cleaned up and the bed changed, I'll go out in the yard and call Denny in to see his baby sister."

Elizabeth Jane said, "Oh, I forgot about Denny. How's he been?"

"He's been just fine. Your Daddy and Alexander have kept him busy. They just returned a little while ago from our farm. He was hoping when they came back his new baby sister or brother would be here."

Elizabeth Jane said, "I think he wanted a baby brother. I hope he's not too disappointed." She moved the blanket away from her baby's face. "She's so pretty. She looks like a little angel."

Anna asked, "Have you a name?"

Elizabeth Jane told her, "Yes. Her name is Katrina Elizabeth."

Anna smiled. "That's a pretty name for a pretty little girl."

Denny carried a bucket of chicken feed and scattered handfuls of food around on the ground as the chickens followed him about the yard.

Daniel McCord watched his grandson, who obviously was enjoying his work. Daniel realized how much Denny looked like Silas now that he was getting a little older. He turned to Alexander and said, "That boy's growing mighty fast."

Alexander agreed. "We're going to make a good farmer out of him by the time his Daddy returns."

Alexander's words of Silas's absence irritated Daniel. He felt his son-in-law had no business going off to war and he had not kept his opinion to himself since Silas had left. Annoyance hovered in his eyes as he looked at Alexander. "The d.a.m.n war is a waste of time." His voice was heavy with sarcasm.

Alexander chuckled, his steely gray eyes lighting up. "You're a stubborn one, Daniel. To hear you talk you'd think you were on Jefferson Davis's side. Seems your loyalty is with the Confederacy."

"Well, it sure ain't with the abolitionists." Throwing up his hands, he sighed. "It's all their doing we're in this mess. And it ain't going away. How many men are going to die before this is over and all on account of the n.i.g.g.e.rs? Maybe if Douglas had been elected, things wouldn't have got so bad."

"What do you want? Two nations here? You want the Confederates to have their way?"

"No dammit." His retort hardened his features. "But this has gotten outta hand."

Alexander stared at Daniel a moment, a shadow of annoyance crossed his face. He asked, "You for the Union or against it?"

Daniel sighed with exasperation. "Ah s.h.i.t, I'm for it, you know that. I just hate the war, that's all."

Alexander replied, "I would imagine we all do."

"I'm concerned of the talk of giving the n.i.g.g.e.rs guns and making them soldiers."

"They can learn to shoot just like a White man. Why not make good soldiers out of 'em?"

Daniel's laugh had a sharp edge. "I'd have to see it to believe it. What'd they know about soldiering?"

"The same thing a young White man knows," Alexander commented. "They've been taught to fight. It doesn't matter what color the skin that fires the gun or stops the bullet."

"If I was out there on some battlefield I wouldn't want a n.i.g.g.e.r standing beside me."

Alexander's look was one of faint amus.e.m.e.nt. "Daniel, if he could shoot that gun and take down the Rebel that was about to shoot you, you'd forget the color of his skin. In fact, you might get on your knees and thank him."

"Ah, s.h.i.t, Alex," he said with disgust. "I hate this war. I want our boys home safe."

Alexander slapped Daniel on the back and said, "I know you do."

Daniel's face became solemn. He turned and walked a few feet from Alexander. With his back to Alexander, he said quietly, "I worry about my Madeline. She's living with that Rebel husband of hers. He's bad news."

Alexander asked, "You heard from her?"

Daniel turned around and his eyes were moist. "Nah, not for months. Her mother worries. Wish I could get her the h.e.l.l out of Virginia to safer ground." He shrugged. "How do you say to your daughter after all these years-'Madeline, leave your husband and come home?'"

Alexander said quietly, "It's tough."

Daniel leaned down and picked up a rock and threw it long and hard into the corn field. He muttered, "G.o.dd.a.m.n this war!"

Denny was excited as he ran into the house. He hurried to his mother's bedroom door but when he reached the open door he stopped and peered inquisitively into the room.

Elizabeth Jane saw his shyness and called to him. "Denny, come see your baby sister."

Denny moved from the bedroom doorway into the room and quietly tip-toed across to his mother's bedside. His blue eyes peered curiously at the bundle his mother held in her arms.

She said, "Come closer so you can see her."

His face revealed awe as he looked at his baby sister. His face broke into a smile of surprise. "She's so little," he giggled. He reached out and touched the baby's hand, immediately pulling his finger away. Katrina opened her eyes and her mouth puckered slightly. Denny laughed. "Look, Mama, she made a face at me. You think she likes me?"

Elizabeth Jane smiled at her son. "I'd say Katrina loves her big brother."

Denny smiled with satisfaction. He looked away from Katrina and at his mother. "Do you think Daddy will sing to her like he does to me when he gets home?"

Her eyes filled with tears at her son's question. She answered softly, "Yes, Denny, I think he will."

Denny tickled the baby's cheek with his finger. "You hear that, baby Katrina? Daddy will sing you songs, too."

Elizabeth Jane unconsciously pulled the baby tighter against her as she thought about Silas. She wanted him home, home where he belonged with her and the children. She wondered how old her daughter would be before Silas returned.

And what if he never returned?

What then?

Chapter Eight: Wednesday, the 22nd Day of April 1863.

Camp near Vicksburg, Mississippi Dear Companion, It is once more I take my pen and ink to inform you of my health which is tolerable good at present. We have seen very hard times for the past several weeks and today is a very gloomy day to us and I expect there are more to come.

We left Ste. Genevieve on board the Chateau, March 14th, bound for New Madrid. The Mississippi and the Ohio were tolerable full. A few miles before we came to the mouth of the Ohio, the Mississippi was running over the bottoms.

When we arrived at New Madrid we found the Iowa 38th Regiment there. They don't know beans about war. They had not marched five miles since they have been in the service. We opened their eyes when we told them what we had been through. The inhabitants there had done as they pleased with the 38th. They said the women would run the boys off the guard lines and the men would sauce them. When we arrived, it all changed. The people paid attention to us because we didn't let them get away with anything. I would have liked to see the women run our boys. They would have been apt to get a bayonet stuck in them where it would not have hurt them very bad. From what I hear, our 23rd is the hardest regiment out. We got that name but we would have to knock under to the 1st Nebraska Regiment as we learned from them.

On March 17th there was a fleet of six boats bound for Vicksburg. The gunboat with them was in the fight at Memphis and at the fight when the Arkansas ran through our fleet. She has two or three more holes in her that the Rebels threw her but it did not damage her. I could see where the musketry had peppered her pretty well.

We were looking for a boat to take us down the river to Vicksburg. I feared the Rebels would move beyond Vicksburg but our men did a good job of driving them back. I was in hopes we would make a clean sweep of Vicksburg but was doubtful that we could.

We heard that evening the Rebels were vacating Vicksburg and had raised a flag of truce. That was bad news. I think probably you would not have thought so but you don't know anything about war. I know by experience that it would have been bad news. There were seven thousand troops called from Memphis to Vicksburg.

I was out from camp that day and had talked to three Negroes that were plowing and they told me their master was as fearful of the Iowa 23rd as I am of a snake and that when the news would come for us to leave there they had an idea that their master would be sitting in his house a'clapping his hands for joy. They told me since we had arrived the only time their master went outside his house was to p.i.s.s and then he would go quickly back into his den. If General Davidson had been with us that man would have had to prove himself a Union man or else he would have been sent to St. Louis to answer. That was the principle we worked on when we were running through Missouri.

We left Milliken's Bend, Louisiana, on April 12th. I thought the army at Vicksburg was running a narrow risk of being captured from the appearance of things there then. It is my opinion this war can't last much longer than fall. Deserters that come from Vicksburg say the Rebels have nothing to eat but corn bread and mule meat and reports are they're dying so fast in Vicksburg they can hardly get plank enough to bury them decent.

About April 8th, the Rebels at Vicksburg had a fight among themselves. They say it is tense there. The Rebel conscripts threw down their arms and the remainder tried to compel them to take up their arms and fight. Instead they took up their arms and pitched into the Rebels and before it was over they had killed a hundred and fifty of them and spiked their guns. If that is the case, it is good news to us.

One Captain went into Vicksburg and spied around for two days and nights and came out unhurt and without suspicion. One of the Rebel Lieutenants had come out of Vicksburg on a pa.s.s as a spy and he gave himself up to our men. Our Captain changed clothes with him, got his pa.s.s and went into Vicksburg. This Lieutenant told us there are Rebel deserters every day and they surrender to our army.

When we left New Madrid on March 22nd and started for Memphis I saw peach trees in bloom, and the timber began to look green. On the 28th, we boarded a boat and were on board very nigh to ten days and we had a very hard time of it. We were like a lot of hogs. When night came the boys began to hunt their nests. Some would crawl under the boilers and some in some corner or another. Those who could not find such places would sleep on the stone coal and you know what kind of bed that would make. Others might just sit up and try to sleep. We were in two storms while on the boat. It would be very windy and the waves would run high. The old boat would creak and bend as she plowed her way ahead. On that Sat.u.r.day night, we ran to sh.o.r.e and cast anchor. In the night a storm came up and it blew us down river in a lot of brush and saplings, the river being very high and overflowing the bottoms and running all over creation. We got up steam and kept her there until the morning light and then went ahead again.

We came across several of the Iowa regiments at Lake Providence and I got to see some of the boys I know.

Troops were camped along the river for nigh a hundred miles this side of Vicksburg. We are now nine miles from Vicksburg and about seventeen miles by water. I can hear the cannons belch at Vicksburg every day. There will be a big fight before many weeks and I think Vicksburg will fall sooner or later.

We are in General Grant's Army with the 21st, 22nd, 23rd Iowa Regiments, the 11th Wisconsin and another regiment that I do not know the name of. The 8th and 18th Indiana and the 33rd and 93rd Illinois and the 1st United States Regulars const.i.tute another brigade. The above ten regiments const.i.tute the 14th Division of the 13th United States Army Corps.

You have probably heard lots of stories about General Grant, the main one being he is a cigar-smoking, whiskey-drinking SOB. I do not see that as the case. He is a shrewd leader and I am happy to be under his command. They say that in many battles he is right there with his boys fighting to the last musket fire. If he is a drunken general then all brigades should be so lucky.

We had a Grand Review with General Grant and all I could see as far as I could see were soldiers. There seemed no end to them. The General looked mighty. His erect carriage and fine horsemanship added to the pleasure of seeing a pleasant face before us.

I had the opportunity of having a few words with him while sharing cups of coffee and biscuits. His manner was friendly and conservative. Not so with his Chief of Staff, Rawlins. I must say Rawlins was somewhat coa.r.s.e and vulgar in contrast to General Grant. I was honored to have had the opportunity to speak with the General. Although he did not speak about war strategy I feel very confident to be under his command. He will lead us to victory, of that, I have no doubt. He seems to have the ability to divine the position of the enemy and meet them head on.

As we came down the river, I saw a plantation with buildings on it that would make a good size town in Iowa and it all belonged to one man. The Negro housing was a great deal better than a majority of houses in Iowa. A great many of the boys would inquire what town it was and would be told it was a plantation.

We are now camped on a very large plantation. The proprietor has about two hundred and fifty working Negroes. He planted ten hundred acres of corn last year, which princ.i.p.ally went to Vicksburg-and another thirteen hundred acres of cotton but I cannot tell you where that went. The story that the Negroes tell us is that they are treated fairly well by this owner. He is now a strong Union sympathizer and many of them tell us they would not leave here even if the war was over and the Union was again united. They must be the lucky ones because that is not the story we always hear. A few Negroes in other places have told us of their bad treatment by their owners. Families are often separated when an owner thinks he can get a fair price for one of his slaves. I've been shown the deep scars of a whip across the back and even one Negro had been whipped across his face and lost one eye. It pains me to think some of these Negroes are treated much worse than one would treat an old mean crazed dog. No man should have to suffer at the hands of another. You tell Pap Lincoln is right. This country needs equality and I suppose that is why I am a Union soldier. I hear many Northerners are against the Negroes being armed but I think it is a good thing. I hear we will have Colored troops here soon. We will see if they make good soldiers. It is said they have great gusto to fight.

The last plantation we stayed on was owned by a Rebel Colonel that was killed in the Battle of Shiloh.

I do not know what the next days will bring but I want you to know, Janie, I love you dearly. Give my son a hug from his Daddy. The time must be getting close for the baby to arrive or maybe by now it has. Tell Pap I am out here fighting for a good cause. If I do not make it through this war, please see to it Janie, that my name is never forgotten and that my memory remains in your heart. I know that wherever I am, or wherever I will be, you will be in my heart.

Your loving husband, Silas

Chapter Nine: Madeline.

A light spring rain was falling on the eastern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The plantation owners welcomed the rain as nourishment for their growing crops. Farming was of the utmost importance in the rich agricultural valley due to the fact that food to feed the Confederate troops was becoming scarce.

The Confederate troops were not happy to see the rain and their minds were definitely not on the benefit that crops might gain by the unexpected rain. For any soldier, bad weather did nothing but make his job more difficult. For many of those at camp it was an opportunity to lay their weapons down and stay under cover of tents and play cards while awaiting orders to move out.

Not far away from camp a handful of Confederate officers were enjoying the luxurious comfort offered by plantation owner, Lawrence Taylor.

Taylor Hills was a large plantation consisting of hundreds of acres of hearty crops, apple orchards, along with a large number of horses whose numbers had thinned considerably as Lawrence Taylor sold them off to the Confederate army. Barns, horse stalls, corrals, and several outbuildings were located on the property. His slave holdings numbered about sixty. On a small rise at the north end of the plantation sat a large and stately Georgian Brick mansion, surrounded by tulip, poplar, oak and chestnut trees.