Jack: Book 3 in the Trilogy

The Army of Northern Viriginia Part 45

Prior to General Robert E. Lee's taking over command of The Army of Northern Virginia in 1862, that army was comprised mostly of recruits - mostly farmers from Virginia and North Carolina which represented about half of that army and the rest from South Carolina and Georgia - roughly one-quarter each.  Although the official signing-up age was 18, both the union and southern recruitment offices had an unspoken 'don't ask, don't tell' policy regarding age restrictions - both at the young age limit and at the old limit.

The recruiting office officials in Charleston at first rejected us, saying we needed signed, written permission from both of our parents that we were 18, and that the army was only taking older, unmarried men at that time. Jack argued with the two recruiters at city hall but to no avail. "Run along sonny, come back next year when the war is over," he joked.

I don't think I ever saw Jack quite so angry.  "Those damn idiot sons of horses asses!" he said when we got outside into the dusty street as it was a dry day - no rain for a week now - and horses and buggies were stirring up dust everywhere so it was hard to breathe. Jack was out of breath but not because of dust. He wanted to go back in and argue more with them. His face was reddening. I felt a major storm coming so I tried to calm him down.

"Jack, maybe it's for the best," I said. "We can just do what we always used to do - go fishing along the river, let's enjoy our last years before we have to be adults. Let's do what boyhood friends do. Let's not do this now and have to grow up overnight!"

"No, idiot! The damn war will be over before we ever get there! Didn't  you hear that fool?" Jack said. "I'm not waiting for nothin'! And our parents would never give us their okay to join no war! We gotta have a plan!"

"Jack there's nothing we can do," I said. "Even if we went to another city or another state, they'd still want our parents' permission."

"I saw Johnie Daley yesterday and he signed up last week and he's not 16 yet, and he went to the same recruitment office," Jack said. "So if he can get in, we can!  It must be that he went at a different time and there were different recruiters. Let's just do what we always have done best - let's sneak about and scout out the place and see when they change to different recruiters, then we try with them."

"Look Jack, I'm not sure about this. I don't have a good feeling about it," I said.

"You never have a good feeling 'bout no adventure we ever did sonny boy so let's not go down that road again," Jack said.

"We could get killed or badly injured. This is no game anymore," I said. "It's time we acted more responsibly. We have our parents that we hardly have seen in a year and we have two young ladies who depend on us. We should take care of them, see how this war goes and maybe join when we are 18."

"You said you'd go with me. You said we'd go together and fight if war started. Now it's starting and you're getting cold feet?" Jack said.

"I'm only 15 still. You're only 16. We shouldn't live so recklessly, Jack. We owe it to ourselves and others to live a long, healthy life," I said.

"The Yankees are going to attack our homeland, they'll be burning Charleston if we let them. Our new country needs us," Jack said.

"They need soldiers who are 18 or older," I said.

"Yeah, well we'll just tell'em we're 18 then!" Jack said. "Everyone else is doin' the same thing, including Johnnie Daley."

"I don't know Jack, I have a bad feeling this time," I started to say.

"Tell you what then," Jack said. "We try two more times only, same office, if they accept us, we go. If not, I'll stay with you here in town until we're 17, then, if it's still war, we try again, what do you say kiddie?"

"Jack. You're the most stubborn headstrong person I ever met. But okay, we try two more times," I said.