Spake As a Dragon (22 page)

Back at the house Malinda has the rest
of the family moving furniture away from the front window. She says
this is an ideal spot for the tree. “All right everyone, I’m
popping popcorn and we need to string it up to put on the tree.
Mattie Ann you and Lizzie go up to the attic and get the box of
Christmas decorations and bring them downstairs. Sary get a needle
and thread for the popcorn.”

The family is joyous and excited as
they prepare to decorate the tree that William and Tom Henry will
find. Their hearts are on Christmas. They know there will be no
presents, but this is the third year of this terrible War and they
have forgotten the spirit of Christmas giving.

Malinda hears the boys returning. She
goes to the front door just in time to see Thomas Henry leading
Blaze back into the barn. She stands waiting silently for him to
return. Grabbing the tree William and Tom Henry carry it upon the
porch and into the house. “Take it into the parlor room we’re going
to put it in front of the large front window.”

Once they have the tree standing, Tom
Henry steps back admiring the tree asks, “Well Mama what do you
think, did I pick out a good one, or what?”

“
Oh yes, Thomas Henry,
that is a fine tree; in fact, it may be the best one we have had in
years. Where did you find it?”

Still strutting his feathers Tom Henry
responds, “Why, we had to go plumb near the end of the fence line
before I found this fine tree.”

“
The end of the fence
line, huh? Thomas Henry that’s a long way to go, and you and
William had to drag this tree,” she looks the tree up and down,
“why it’s nearly 8 feet tall, all the way from back there to the
house.”

“
Yes ma’am it
IS
a
long way.”

“
Who did most of the
dragging you or William?” William begins to inch his way toward the
hall and out of the room. “Where you going William, the fun is just
getting started.”

“
Yes ma’am that what I was
afraid of.”

“
Afraid of fun? Why boys
after that long trip, cutting down the tree, and dragging it to the
house all by YOURSELVES, you should just sit down and watch while
we decorate the tree. Y’all need to rest yourselves.”

“
But Mother,” complained
Tom Henry, “decorating the tree, that’s the best part.”

“
You boys never did tell
me which one of you worked the hardest dragging the tree home. Was
it you William?” William said ‘no’ with his head almost touching
his chest. “Then it must have been you Thomas Henry?”

Tom Henry, head bowed, thought for a
second then responded, “No Mama, it wasn’t me either, I can’t lie.
I took Blaze and he was the one that drug the tree home. It was me
not William. William told me not to take Blaze and I took her
anyway. If a whupping is comin’ give it to me not to
William.”

“
Thank you son for not
lying, and neither of you is getting a whipping; however, if one
were needed now would be the time, but you told the truth and I
will overlook your disobedience this one time.

Boys, it’s not that I care for the use
of Blaze – she is big and strong, pulling a Christmas tree will not
strain her in the least. I do not want you to use the horse at
night because you are working close to the bluff and in the dark,
many things can frighten a horse causing her to run away. Of
course, you two would chase after her and probably fall over the
cliff. You see, without the horse you have less chance to get hurt.
It is you two that I care about, not the horse.

“
Get over here Thomas
Henry and William and help us decorate this tree, and don’t let me
catch you eating all the popcorn either.”

In a while, the tree was covered in
ornaments, all homemade, but it was wonderful. “Mama, let’s sing
Christmas carols.”

Mattie Ann asks, “Mama do you suppose,
Papa, Luke and Matthew will be home next Christmas to decorate the
tree and sing carols?”

Malinda did not answer.

Moving to the piano Malinda pulls out
the stool and comments, “It’s been a while since I played.” She
began and the others joined in:

“
Hark

the herald angel’s
sing,


Glory to the newborn
King!


Peace on earth and mercy
mild


God and sinners
reconciled.


Joyful, all ye nations
rise


Join the triumph of the
skies


With the angelic host
proclaim:


"Christ is born in
Bethlehem."


Hark! The herald angel’s
sing


"Glory to the newborn King!"

Chapter
Twenty-Five

THE LETTER HOME

December 24,
1863

Dear Wife and
Children,

I take this Christmas Eve
opportunity to inform you that, through the goodness and mercy of
God, I am permitted to tell you that I am well at this time, and I
hope and pray that these lines may find you and the children well
and doing well. I have written about my friend Ben, he is not
getting better and I fear for the worse. I can inform you that I
have not received a letter from you since arriving in this
despicable place. I never wanted to hear from you as much in my
life. I have written dozens of letters to you since I got here. I
cannot tell the reason why I don't get your letters. Surely you
must have written.

As to the times here, they
are bad enough. We have the coldest weather I ever felt. It rains,
sleets, and snows. We have mud in abundance. It is just like living
in a hog pen. We are nearly on starvation. I draw one tin cupful of
cornmeal a day. It is piled in loosely and struck off at that, and
a half-pound of beef, bone and all. I don't think that we can stand
it much longer. I buy one dollar’s worth of meal a day and I don't
have nearly enough at that. I have to pay a dollar for a tin cupful
and I am always hungry.

Our duties are hard. I
have to go on a work detail every other night. I have to stay up
all night in the cold and smoke. I get so hungry that it makes me
sick. I stand it much better than I thought I could, but I don't
know how long I will hold out at it. The reason they don't feed us
any better may be they cannot get it. I told you last letter that I
thought this Confederacy was on its last legs and think that they
are nearly worn out. We have but one slender railroad to bring us
supplies and I fear the supplies are not in the country to be had.
There is a great talk of peace now here. Peace, peace, is all the
talk there is. It is said that commissioners from Richmond leave
for Washington, to negotiate peace measures. I hope and pray that
the Good Lord will guide and direct them by wisdom from on high so
they may bring this cruel war to a close, for if ever I wanted
anything in my life or prayed for anything, it is that I may be
delivered from this cruel war and return home to you, so we may
spend the remainder of our days in peace and happiness together in
serving the Lord.

I think that if I could
get home to stay I would be the most thankful and happiest man in
the world. But if our leading men do not stop this war, I think our
soldiers will desert this army, that they intend to quit and go
home. They will not stand it much longer.

We all know that we are
badly whipped and the matter can not be concealed any longer. Our
men are deserting daily and going over to the Yankees, but I hope
and pray that, by the first of March, we will have peace. I have
more hope of peace now than I ever had since the war began. One
thing is starvation. Our men cannot and will not stand it much
longer.

I want you to write to me
soon. Write how you are getting along and making out. I have a
great many more things that I would like to write you, but I have
not room. I would write to all of my friends if they sent me some
paper.

I tell you this is a
wretched place here. Flour is one thousand dollars a barrel. Of
course, that’s in Confed money.

Give my love to all of my
friends. Tell them to write to me and I will write to them. I want
them all to remember me in their prayers that I may be sustained
and protected. O, may I soon get to return to you and may God in
His infinite goodness and mercy bless you and the children and
spare us to each other again.

I remain your affectionate
husband.

To MATTIE ANN and THOMAS
HENRY and all:

Dear Children,

Pa wants to see you the
worst he ever did. I do not know what I would give to come home and
live with you all again. You must be good children and help Ma do
everything. You must pray every day to the Good Lord to take care
of us all and keep us alive and He is able and will do it. You must
remember Pa for he loves you all too good to ever forget you. You
must take good care of little Elizabeth for me, bless her, Pa does
want to see her so bad. I want you all to write to me. Pa can read
your writing very well when you have good paper. Give my love to
Sary, Jed and Jefferson. I will write to them when I get paper.
Give my love to all and may God in His goodness bless you all.
Write soon and often.

Your devoted
husband,

Robert Scarburg

Robert places the pen on the table and
thinks why he hasn’t received any letters from his family. He has
been at Point Lookout for months now. It seems he should have at
least received some kind of correspondence. He has been worried for
months – has the Yankees even notified his family that he is being
held prisoner at this God forsaken place? Maybe, they think he is
dead? If he could only get one letter to let him know how they are
doing, he would feel so much better.

The flap on the tent flies open and
one of Robert’s friends informs him that he must come to the
hospital tent at once. Ben is not doing very well. Robert grabs the
shredded remains of his coat throws it over his shoulder and
hurried out into the blowing snow.

Entering Ben’s tent, a group of
soldiers has gathered, but there is complete silence. Robert
approaches the bedside of Ben, who is still alive. “Ben, it’s me
Robert,” he says talking one of Ben’s hands in his own. He is
startled how cold Ben’s hand is and one of his feet is sticking out
from under the blanket – it is blue. “Hang in there Ben, you’re
gettin’ better every day, why just a day or so ago I was tellin’
somebody how well you are gettin’ on. Can I get you something?
Maybe a sip of water?” Grinning, “it’s good cold water!”

Barely above a whisper, “Robert you’ve
been a...a good friend...pray for my soul and if you ever get
home...tell...” he quietly stopped breathing with his eyes wide
open. Robert reached over the bed and closed his eyes with his hand
– Ben, his best friend in this world, was dead!

Before Robert was miserable, but now
he is just as miserable, but alone, “There is no hope now, we will
never survive this hell hole. We will never see home again.” One of
the soldiers standing nearby pats Robert on the
shoulder.

Along with the death of Ben, Robert’s
will to survive is also killed. From that Christmas Eve night,
Robert begins to loose all hope. Without hope, there is no will to
keep on fighting. The loss of will kills the spirit, the death of
the spirit kills the soul. For Robert, all is lost.

After the death of his friend Ben,
Robert’s own health begins to deteriorate. He begins to sleep more
and more each day. Some days he does not even get out of his bunk.
Other tent mates bring him hardtack and bits of food they slip from
the mess tent, but he will not eat. Occasionally he takes a small
bite of something the men have rustled up, but mostly he just lies
in his bunk.

Robert has given up! Death to him will
now be a blessing.

If something isn’t done for Robert,
and done soon it is believed he has no longer than a month to live.

Chapter
Twenty-Six

DOWN THE MOUNTAIN
TRAIL

The day after Christmas arrives, up on
Cumberland Mountain the snow is still coming down hard outside the
cave. The fire is now smoldering embers and the cheer and
companionship of the previous night have been replaced with moans,
headaches and stomachs churning with the morning after
sickness.

“
Oh, my,” Nate says
leaning against the side of the cave heaving his innards out. “Dear
Lords, jest let me live and I’s swear I’m never gonna partake of
that Devils brew again. On second thought, dear Lord jest lets me
die right where I stand, here and now!”

Luke is piling up the fire with fresh
wood as Old Bill and Kay begin to stir from the spot where they had
passed out last night. The aroma in the cave is different, it is
pleasant, it’s the smell of hot coffee. Luke has the coffee pot
boiling fresh coffee, thinking plenty of it is going to be needed,
and real soon.

“
All right you revelers
come over here and get a fresh cup of coffee, it will make you feel
better.”

“
Dadgum,” says Nate,
“whose could feel any worse?”