The Fire Within

Chapter 12

The temperatures in late June are extraordinarily hot. After the recent thunderstorms moved out of the area, the sky became a clear shade of blue with a few puffy white clouds spotting across the blue. The sun high in the sky makes the warmth of summer almost unbearable in the Rebel’s woolen grey uniforms.

Isaiah sits upon his charcoal grey steed, looking out at the forest of trees in front of him. After their victory in Virginia against the Union, part of Ewell’s soldiers pursued the Yankees toward the Mason Dixon while Isaiah took his band of brutal killers toward the south to regroup and rest. Now he finds himself moving north again toward Pennsylvania. With a victory so far in the north, General Lee believes now is the time to push forward and break the Yankees is their own territory. Isaiah couldn’t agree more.

Since seeing his brother, he is convinced that they will cross paths again before this war is over. Part of him still longs for what could have been. They could be fighting side by side, winning this war together, but that will never happen. This war has separated the country, set brother against brother, and destroyed families.

He thinks about their childhood on the plantation in Southern Carolina, being separated by only two years in age, made them very close. They did everything together as children. They played pranks on their parents, on the neighbors, and on the slaves that worked the farms. They were the worst troublemakers in the area, but they always managed to evade getting caught because they were both such skilled riders and they had some of the fastest horses around.

The two of them often made promises for their future. Ezekiel was going to become a lawyer and Isaiah was going to become a soldier. Together they were going to eventually become politicians and fix what they thought was wrong with the country, together. They often talked about what it would be like to be president or vice president and be able to change things. They were both very idealistic, Isaiah realizes now as an adult. What he misses now, is their close relationship. He misses is brother and their long talks about anything and everything that came up in conversation. He misses having someone that he could rely on, no matter what was happening. They always supported each other, no matter the consequences.

Then Ezekiel met Mary. She was a northern girl who was visiting her family’s plantation. She was out riding with her cousin, a girl that lived on the plantation and came across Isaiah and Ezekiel fishing in a creek near their home. The moment Ezekiel saw Mary, he was smitten with her and Isaiah had to admit that she was quite beautiful.

Mary spent almost a year with her cousin on the plantation, and in that time Ezekiel began to spend more and more time with her, eventually asking permission from her uncle to court her. Once he was permitted to court her, he spent every waking moment with her. What Isaiah didn’t know was that during this time, Mary was convincing Ezekiel to move to the north with her.

The day that Mary was set to return to her family’s home in Maryland, Ezekiel packed his belongings and declared to his parents that he was moving north to be with her. Isaiah was furious, he screamed and yelled at his brother about abandoning their parents and him, but Ezekiel wouldn’t hear of it.

Once the southern states succeeded from the Union to create the Confederate States of America, Isaiah traveled to Maryland to bring Ezekiel back to fight by his side. What he found when he arrived was that Ezekiel and Mary had married and that Ezekiel had enlisted in the Union army. The two brothers had a furious fight that left Isaiah injured and the brothers declaring that they were no longer brothers.

Isaiah pulls himself out of his stupor and refocuses on what’s in front of him. He begins to lead his troops back through the forest of Virginia toward Maryland. The Rebels have made camp in Hagerstown, Maryland. General Lee has decided to move his troops toward Pennsylvania so Isaiah is guiding his men toward Hagerstown to meet up with the 70,000 Confederate troops that will be moving into Pennsylvania.