Carried Forward By Hope (18 page)

“Look who I found on the porch,” Miles announced, stepping back.

Pandemonium broke loose.

“Susie!” Carrie yelled.

“June!” Moses bellowed as he jumped up from the table. “Simon!” he yelled, as he swung the little boy up in his arms and grabbed June close.

“June! Susie!” Rose laughed with delight as she hurried forward to wrap both of them in a warm hug. “How in the world did you get here?”

“Girls! Simon! Welcome!” Aunt Abby pushed through to wrap both of them in her embrace.

Susie and June were both rendered speechless.

Susie was the first to find her voice. “What…? How…?

Moses chuckled and guided them both to the table. “We’ll answer all your questions, but I have a feeling both of you are hungry.”

“Hungry!” Simon called, crawling willingly into the chair Carrie pulled out for him. “Who are you?” he asked, reaching out to touch Carrie’s face.

“I’m Carrie,” she said, smiling through her tears as she stroked his cheek. “I’m very glad to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Simon nodded and reached eagerly for a thick chunk of cornbread. “Hungry!” he announced again before he took a big bite.

Laughter erupted in the room.

Rose headed for the stairs. “I have about a million questions, but I need to wake someone up to be a part of this party. He fell asleep early tonight because he played so hard, but he can’t miss this.”

Moments later she returned with John wrapped in her arms, his sleepy eyes clearly asking what all the confusion was about. He gazed around until his eyes rested on Simon. His sleepy eyes cleared. “Down, Mama. Down!”

Rose laughed and lowered him to the ground.

“John!” Simon yelled as he dropped his cornbread and slipped from the chair.

The two friends stared at each other with delight and then began to wrestle on the floor, their delighted laughter pealing through the house.

“Boys!” June snorted and fell into Rose’s arms. “I missed you so much!” She turned to stare at Susie. “Did you know they would all be here?” she demanded.

Susie could only shake her head in amazement. “I had no idea,” she stammered. “I was just hoping Carrie would still be here.” She stared around. “How…?”

******

Carrie shared a glance with Miles. He nodded and turned into the kitchen.

May’s head popped out into the room. “I reckon we gonna need some more food,” she announced. “I’ll have it right out.” She gazed fondly at the two boys wrestling on the floor. “You two want some cookies?” she called.

“Cookies!” John yelled as he grabbed Simon’s hand and pulled him into the kitchen.

Laughter rang around the table as stories were shared. Darkness wrapped the house in its embrace as the oil lamps flickered over the joyful faces. Rose was sharing how she had discovered Moses recovering from his wound when there was a knock on the door.

“Miles?” Carrie asked quietly, a smile playing on her lips.

Aunt Abby gazed at her. “Are we expecting anyone?”

“We are now,” Carrie replied. “I can’t wait to see who it is this time.”

Silence fell on the room as they waited to see who Miles would return with. The silence didn’t last for long.

“Simon!” June screamed, launching herself from the table.

“June!” Simon boomed, catching her up in his arms and swinging her around.

The door to the kitchen flung open. “Daddy!” Simon hollered, rushing forward on his sturdy legs.

Simon laughed as he swung his son up into his arms and then claimed June’s lips with a fervent kiss.

He finally raised his head and stared around the room, his smile growing even brighter when he saw Susie. “How…?”

“That seems to be the favorite question tonight,” Aunt Abby said with a chuckle. She stood and pulled another chair forward. “Join the party,” she invited.

Talk flowed around the table for hours more. Little John was fast asleep in Moses’s arms. Simon was snuggled close to his daddy, regularly reaching up to pat his face to convince himself he was real. Finally he closed his eyes, laid his head on his father’s shoulder, and fell fast asleep.

Simon was the first to stand. “I hate to break this up, but I have to report back to my unit.” He smiled at June’s look of disappointment. “Don’t worry. Captain Jones said I could have three days off starting tomorrow night.” He glanced at Carrie.

“You can stay here,” she said promptly. “You two can have Janie and Clifford’s old room.” She felt a stab of pain as she thought of Janie but forced herself to focus on the joy of the moment.

“I would love to have Susie in my room,” Aunt Abby offered.

Susie finally asked the question that had been burning in her throat all night. She had been afraid to ask, not sure she wanted the answer, but now she had to know. “My daddy?” she said softly. “Has there been any word?”

Carrie smiled. “I was hoping to surprise you too, but I guess you’ll have to know in advance.”

“Surprise me? Do you know something?” Susie asked hopefully.

“I’d say so,” Rose laughed. “Your daddy escaped Castle Thunder before the city fell. He came here too. Carrie hid him for a while and then found him a safe place down in the black quarter. He’s waiting until we all head out to the plantation, and then he’s coming with us.”

Susie made no attempt to hide her tears. “Daddy…” she whispered. She turned to Carrie. “Thank you.” A smile wreathed her face as she wrapped Carrie in a warm hug. “The plantation?”

Carrie grinned. “It’s still there. As far as we know, all is well. I’m waiting for Robert to get strong enough to head out, but Moses and Rose will be going there soon.” She answered the question in Susie’s eyes before she asked it. “And, yes, you can most certainly go out with them!”

“We won’t be going out for another week,” Moses said. “Captain Jones said the Union troops are going to be marching through Richmond on May first. Simon and I aim to march with them,” he said firmly.

“As you should,” Carrie said immediately. She looked at Susie. “You are more than welcome to stay here until they leave.”

Susie nodded. “Thank you, but I think once my daddy arrives, I’ll see if I can stay with him. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do,” she said excitedly.

They were all still talking around the table when June came back in from telling Simon goodbye. A smile lit her face, although her eyes were wet with tears. “I do believe this has been one of the best nights of my life,” she declared.

“I could not agree with you more,” Carrie replied. “The war kept us all separated for so long. It’s such a joy to finally meet you, June.”

June smiled. “I know there is so much still to talk about, but I’m wondering if anyone has heard from Matthew.”

“He was here until about a week ago,” Aunt Abby responded. She gazed around the table. “I was just getting ready, before the excitement, to tell all of you that Matthew sent a telegram. I got it when I was in town earlier.”

Carrie leaned forward. “Where is he? Is everything alright?”

Aunt Abby nodded. “His telegram said he has the privilege of heading up the Mississippi River on a steamboat carrying Union prisoners-of-war home. He was getting ready to load when he sent the telegram. He also said the
Tribune
has directed him to return to Richmond after he reaches Cairo, Illinois to cover what is happening here.” She smiled. “He should be home soon.”

“Peter!” Matthew was relieved beyond words to see his friend sitting amongst a group of prisoners, talking and laughing. It had been two days since he had seen him.

Peter jumped up and came over to clap Matthew on his shoulder. “I wasn’t sure we would find each other in this mass of humanity,” he said. “You are a sight for sore eyes.”

Matthew smiled, but it soon faded away to be replaced by a frown. “I may be the only sight for sore eyes on this boat. The conditions these men are enduring are terrible.”

Just then, four men standing several yards away broke into song and dance, causing all the men around them to laugh and cheer.

Peter gazed at them for a minute. “They don’t seem to mind the conditions,” he replied. “I guess after the prison camps, this isn’t so bad.”

“It would take a comparison to Andersonville or Cahaba to make the conditions anything but pitiful,” Matthew growled. “There is not one army doctor on board for all these sick men. I met a civilian doctor last night who is doing what he can, but obviously he is only scratching the surface of the need.”

Peter nodded. “You’re right,” he said heavily. “I keep trying to focus on how glad all the men are to be going home, but that doesn’t mean I’m not aware of the chronic diarrhea that seems to be plaguing almost all of them.”

Matthew scowled. “Almost every one of these men is suffering from malnutrition and scurvy. There is no telling how many of the civilians on this boat will get sick from coming in contact with pneumonia, typhoid, and dysentery.”

“I would argue and say the army was doing the best it can, but I know that’s wrong,” Peter admitted. “I keep thinking about the almost empty boats that pulled away from the dock in Vicksburg while the
Sultana
was loading.”

“Not to mention that all these men have to eat is hard tack and raw salt pork or bacon,” Matthew snapped. “As far as I’m concerned, this is criminal!”

It was impossible to talk without being overheard, so Matthew wasn’t surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about us,” an emaciated soldier said cheerfully. “Things aren’t so grand on this old boat, but at least we’re headed home and we’re officially in the land of the free! We’ve lived through the worst and now we’re headed home to our families. It might just be salt pork right now, but I reckon my wife is going to have a feast when I get home.” He glanced down at his skeleton-thin body. “It will take a little while, but she’ll put meat back on these bones.” He smiled again. “We’re going home!”

Matthew stared at him and smiled reluctantly. “I guess you’re right,” he acknowledged, well aware of what they had lived through. “What’s your name, soldier?”

“Joseph Sprake.”

“You mind if we talk a little while? I’m a reporter for the
Philadelphia Tribune
. I would be honored to share your story with the country.”

Joseph’s skeletal cheeks bloomed in a grin. “Why, of course! I was a guest of Andersonville for almost fourteen months…thirteen months, twenty-four days, and twelve hours to be exact,” he added. “I reckon I have lots of stories to tell.”

Matthew stared at him, somehow managing to hide his dismay, while a wave of admiration and respect rolled through him. Anybody who had survived Andersonville for the entire time it was open deserved to have their story told.

Peter slapped him on the back. “You’re going to be busy for a while. I’m going to go find my own stories.”

Matthew nodded. “We may not find each other again before we get to Cairo. Take good care of yourself.”

“You too, old man.” Peter paused. “I hear we are stopping at Memphis in a few hours. They’re going to let some of the men off to go into town to celebrate. I’m thinking about joining them so I can send my paper a report. Do you want to go?”

Matthew thought for a moment and then shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’m going to stick close to the boat so I can get as many stories as possible. I’ve interviewed a lot of the men who are too weak to do anything but lay on the floor of the boat. I don’t think I want to miss hearing any of their stories.”

“Not even to have a break from these conditions?” Peter asked.

Matthew smiled, knowing his friend understood his passion. “I’ll survive.” His thoughts spun ahead. “Once I get to Cairo, I’ve been called back to Richmond. May will make sure her cooking wipes away all the memories of this boat ride.”

Peter grinned. “See you in Cairo,” he called over his shoulder as he walked away.

Matthew turned back to Joseph. “How about if we sit down?” In spite of Joseph’s cheerful expression, he could see the deep fatigue and weakness in the young man’s eyes.

“I guess that would be a good idea,” Joseph agreed, sinking down immediately. His eyes closed in relief for a long moment, before he opened them again. “What do you want to know?”

“Let’s start with where you’re from and how old you are,” Matthew suggested.

“I’m nineteen,” Joseph replied. “I left our farm in Ohio when the war started and joined up.”