The Fire Within

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect that it will cease to be divided. It will become all the one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in course of ultimate extinction, or its advocates will push it forward until it shall become alike lawful in all the states, old as well as new, north as well as south."

Abraham Lincoln, June 16, 1858

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The bugle blast interrupts the tranquil morning just before the thunder of galloping hooves is heard throughout the valley. Captain Isaiah Monroe surveys his surroundings looking for what will inevitably be the Union Army pursuing him.

Just last evening he saw the snow white steed and its agile rider just outside their encampment. He’s seen that horse numerous times and now he’s sure that this rider is the reason that he has again been located by the Union Army and has to order his band of sharpshooters and warriors to scatter. He has vowed to find and capture this elusive ghostly steed and the scoundrel that has been the bane of his existence.

For weeks now the enormous beast and its rider have been spotted just before the onslaught of Union reinforcements reach his band of misfit soldiers. Captain Monroe’s brigade is the most feared unit in the Confederacy. Up until now, he has been able to elude the Union and cause havoc throughout Virginia. His soldiers are made up of Virginian farmers and countrymen who are familiar with the Virginia countryside. They know this land. It’s every hiding place, hill, and valley. They know how to use the terrain to their advantage to take the Union by surprise. But this rider, he also knows the countryside. There’s no doubt that this rider was once a son of the south.

Monroe mounts his charcoal gray steed, one that is almost as large and daunting as that of the elusive Union scout, and trudges off into the woods to try to pick up the trail of his adversary. There is little or no chance that he will find this rider, but he still has to try.

He leads his steed through the brush as quietly as the agile beast can muster. If he knows his opponent as well as he thinks he does, he knows that he’s already found his way onto one of the many deer paths leading through the woods and is on his way to the security of the Union lines.

He nears the edge of the forest that leads into a grassy meadow free of obstructions. He keeps himself hidden in the trees, using the waning late spring sunlight to keep hidden in the shadows and is shocked by the sight in front of him.

Just beyond the edge of the forest he spies a majestic white steed grazing. He’s sure this is the horse that belongs to his elusive foe, as he has never seen the match of such an incredible animal among either the Yankees or Rebels.

Monroe watches at the creature walks through the meadow to a darkened area just beyond his sight. He could follow, but that would expose him to whoever is currently sheltered out of sight. He decides it would be best to stay hidden until the rider shows himself, allowing for a clear shot that the scout will never see coming.

Once dusk has totally taken hold of the Virginian terrain, the ghostly steed comes out of hiding, his rider perched high on his back. Monroe removes his revolver from its holster and takes aim at the unwitting soldier. He cocks the hammer of the pistol back and steadies his arm. Just as he’s ready to fire and finally take out this man who has destroyed several of his supposed surprise attacks, his horse rears at the sight of a large copperhead snake.