How to Love

Chapter Three: The Green Dragoons

It's been two years since we last saw Gabriel. He's in the Continental Army now, fighting for our cause. This morning a postrider came and delivered one letter. A letter from Gabriel. All of us are nervous about what we're going to read. It might be good news, it might not. We could only hope. Thomas shakily opened the mail and pulled out parchment. He unfolded it and began to graze his eyes over it. 

"Go on, Thomas." I said.

He looked at me, nodded, and cleared his throat. "Letter from Gabriel: 'I apologize for not writing you for such a long time. As you must know, the fall of Charleston has been a full blow to our cause." 

I thought of everything that had happened in the past weeks. Aunt Charlotte evacuated to her plantation on the Santee, General Lincoln's surrender to Cornwallis, the British being only hours away stationed in Charleston, the constant fear of the British marching up to our steps pounding on the door. Everything was chaos. There had been reports of patriots being hanged, whipped, caned, imprisoned, captured, raped, and losing their homes. Our hopes of an independent nation were going downhill. 

All the people that will be hanged for fighting for their beliefs. My brother  will be hanged if a miracle doesn't happen. The Declaration will be ripped to shreds! At least, I think that would happen to the Declaration. We could only hope for a miracle so much. 

"...I pray for a turn of fortune for our cause. Then, as now, your loving son, Gabriel." Finished Thomas.    

-Time skip-

BOOM 

I awoke to the distant sounds of cannons and gunfire. I flung off the covers and ran down the stairs to where I saw Papa standing on the porch outside. I opened the door. "Papa?"

Papa turned his head towards me and said, "six-pounders. Lots of them."

I inhaled deeply and looked at where the commotion of a battle was at. I could see lights flashing. They were close. "How far away?" Thomas asked, Nathan and William and Samuel tailing behind him. 

"Four, five miles," Papa said. 

"Waxhaus?" Asked Samuel.

"Just east of it." Said Papa. 

"We could go to Aunt Charlottes?" Margaret suggested. 

"No. She's close to the skirmish. We're safer here." Papa disagreed.

Thomas reappeared with muskets in his hands and threw one to Nathan, and offered the other to Papa. 

"Put those away, Thomas." Papa commanded.

"But Father, they might come this way." 

"Put those things away!"

It was daylight now and Samuel was no where to be seen. "Samuel?" I called when entering his bedroom. 

"Almyra!" Margaret yelled. "It's urgent!"

I raced down the stairs and met Margaret outside. "What's wrong?"

"Samuel...he's by the river.." 

"Let's go. William come on." 

I picked up my skirts and ran towards the river where Samuel was. If I was correct, there was a skirmish and soldiers usually fall in rivers during skirmishes. I could only imagine Samuel seeing dead soldiers with blood spatted on their skin and clothes. Some even having swords impaled in them. 

"Samuel!" I yelled.

There he was. His face was full of shock and I understood why. In the river there floated hundreds of soldiers from both sides, all bloodied. "Samuel, Margaret, William, let's go. Now." Tears came to my eyes and I tried to pry away Samuel, but he refused to move. He was shocked.