Night began to set on the camp when Sam told everybody that they are going to need more training if another stunt like the one the British pulled earlier was going to happen again.
“Sam,” Jéan said in his thick French accent, “What do you mean by what happened earlier?”
Sam looked up from her maps, “What I mean is the British Green Dragoons attacked, catching us off guard. That is how all my stitches in my shoulder came undone.”
***
Meanwhile, back at the conquered fort that Cornwallis had control of, Cornwallis was talking to Tavington about earlier.
“Colonel, I did not give you permission to go and attack the militia and the regulars,” Cornwallis stated while eating steak.
“But my Lord,” Tavington started, “I need to kill the ‘Ghost and his niece.”
“I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE THEM ALONE!” Cornwallis replied, “BECAUSE OF YOU, COLONEL, YOU HAVE STARTED TO GIVE THE DRAGOONS A BAD NAME.!”
“Me, my Lord?” Tavington started in shock, “You were the one who gave me the job.”
Cornwallis didn’t bother to finish the argument, because he told Tavington to get out.
***
Spring was starting to set in all over the thirteen colonies. Sam rewrapped her shoulder tighter, but not that tight that it would cause her to lose feeling in her left arm. Gabriel finished brushing his cousin’s horse’s mane and tail.
“Morning, General,” Gabriel said to his cousin as she walked out of her tent.
“Gabriel, that ain’t like you to be doing things like calling me ‘General’ and brushing my horse’s mane and tail,” Sam started with a confused sound to her voice.
“I can’t believe that you forgot about your own birthday,” Gabriel stated.
“Crap,” Sam started, “it is my birthday today, isn’t it?”
Gabriel nodded his head yes matter-of-factly. Sam shocked herself by forgetting about her own birthday. Sam recently realized that she was born on the first day of spring. Today, Sam also turned 21, the same date as the first day of spring. Sam walked down to the river to wash her face and hands. Sam walked back to camp and that was when she realized that her parents were killed on her sixteenth birthday.
“There’s our girl,” Ben said, hugging his niece.
“What did I say about that?” Sam reminded Ben.
“Sorry, Sam,” Ben replied.
Everybody knew that it was Sam’s birthday, but Sam, of course, thinks that her birthday isn’t that important after her parents were killed. The sad thing about her sixteenth birthday. was that her parents were killed that day. Although Tavington killed Thomas, Sam needed to avenge her parents and Thomas.
“Why is Sam so sad on this day?” Jéan asked Gabriel.
“Ask her yourself,” Gabriel replied as Sam sat down at the fire.
“Sam, why are you so sad on this day?” Jéan asked her curiously.
Sam took a staggering breath as she tried to hold back her tears while she was explaining to Jéan, “When I was turning sixteen, my parents were killed by Tavington and then Cornwallis rode up to Ben and asked if I was old enough to shoot a firearm. Of course, Cornwallis thought that I was a young boy, I had the same haircut back then that I am wearing right now, it’s been 5 years ago today since Tavington killed my parents and Cornwallis asked my uncle if I was old enough to shoot a firearm.”
Jéan realized that Sam was close to her uncle but not that close as in father and daughter close.
“Morning,” Burwell said, “Happy…”
Sam looked at Burwell with a don’t-you-dare-say-birthday look on her face. Burwell knew that look, so he shut up right away. Sam was very imparticular about who said happy birthday to her and when they said it. Today was a remembrance of her parents.
Sam looked around. Everybody picked flowers, some were roses, some were daisies and some were even tulips. Gabriel walked up to Sam and told her that she should give a speech. Sam looked at Gabriel and the others then took the bouquet of flowers that her militia and her grandfather’s Continentals picked for her.
“Gentlemen of the militia and the Continentals of all ranks, we have gathered here to mourn the losses of our fallen comrades and parents,” Sam started as she saw someone else that she knew from her childhood, “With losing men and gaining men, and the days of not fighting have gotten to us, but soon General Washington and I assure you that we will battle.” Sam finished as she set the bouquet of mixed flowers in the river.
“Hey girl,” John said bending down next to Sam.
“Hey John,” Sam said, slowly standing up to be sure not to slip and fall into the icy cold river.
Either way, Sam still slipped into the river. Sam quickly grabbed onto a tree branch that was touching the water.
“Go get General Washington, Captain Ben Martin and his son Gabriel, Colonel Harry Burwell and Major Jéan Villeneuve.” Sam yelled above the rushing water.
“Hold on as tight as you can,” John yelled back.
Sam was praying for her dear life when John got back with the people that she commanded for.
“Sam, can you feel your legs,” Ben asked her.
“A little bit,” Sam replied through chattering teeth.
Gabriel tossed Sam as rope to grab onto and tie around her waist. Gabriel, Harry, Ben, George, Jéan and John started to pull her in. Sam sat at the fire with a horse blanket around her shoulders as she started to warm up by the fire.
“Here you go, kid,” John told her.
“I wouldn’t have called her kid if I was you,” Gabriel told John.
“I don’t like being called kid,” Sam told John, who was her dance coach when she was younger.
Sam got up and went into her tent to change her tank-top and to check if her long sleeved shirt was dry, along with her coat. Sam finished changing into her tank-top when Ben walked into Sam’s tent. Sam was holding her wrist and had bandaged it up so it would stop bleeding. Sam’s coat and longsleeved shirt were dry. Sam put both of them on and Ben packed up Sam’s tent. The armies and the militia was ready to move forward.
