My dearest Diary,
PROLOGUE-
It is now March 13th of 1863. It has been much time since the start of the Civil War, and this town is all but Hell. Not much of this once boisterous town of Vicksburg, Mississippi is left. Mother Susan perished at the feet of a gigantic husky stallion, driven by a burly and blood thirsty Confederate soldier. Granny Mae went missing along with Delilah; therefore I have no hope that I’m not alone. I’ve been left to die either at the hands of nature, my sickly body, or by a cruel soldier.
Minutes before Mother went to find Granny Mae and Delilah, and found death instead, she told me, “Don’t be scared Louisa, since there is indeed nothin’ to be scared about. Them soldiers are just all bark and no bite. They’re cowards! They’re fightin’ for such an idiotic reason. It should be apparent to them that slavery is a bunch of nonsense!” Mother is a Quaker and one of the few here in Vicksburg. Though I agree with her with all my heart, I could never stand up to the “man” the way she could. Truly, I was jealous. She looked at me with her big brown eyes, glowing with rage, and then walked over to me and wrapped her strong arms around my small and frail body. “I love you, little Isa, but now I must go search for your sister and grandmother. I’ll see you later.”
“Love you too, mama. Thanks for the advice, I’ll see you later.” She gently kissed my temple, and with that, she walked out of the door, never to see our beloved home again. “Don’t be scared.” I said under my breathe. I told myself I wasn’t, but frankly, that was a lie. I wasn’t scared of dying, surely not. I was scared to live. I was scared to live alone, without my family, and of course, to pass on such a terrible burden, a burden in which only the strong-willed can overcome.
