Daisy Dalrymple - Short Story - Hampshire County
Item
Title
Daisy Dalrymple - Short Story - Hampshire County
Description
A Larger Force
Abstract
A Larger Force
The cacophony of countless muskets firing all at once deafened me. The smell of black powder and sweat mixed in the air made a blend of terror that seeped into my being. Right as I began to feel dizzy from the terror a hand grasped my arm, shaking me back to reality and releasing the hold that fear had held me in.
“Daisy! We must get things prepared for when the men come back from battle!” Mammy yelled at me, after shaking me from my fright.
As I rushed back to camp, the ground began to shake, it was as if the land had been plagued by earthquakes, but I know it hadn’t. It was the largest beasts of war that had just been released, the enemies' cannons. I turned around to see where the damage had been landed, just in time to see whisps of cannon rings lifting in the air. A riveting sight created by something meant for evil. I glance down to see a dozen men dressed in gray and butternut sprawled across the hillside, their limbs tangled with each other and bent in uncomfortable positions. None of them moved.
I turned back around, picked up my long skirts, and sprinted back to the tent. The ground continued to shake as the rebels brought out their cannons and fired back at the Yankees. I had begun to collect items such as bandages and needles and thread in my arms when I heard the sound I had been waiting anxiously for, the victory rebel yell. In relief of the victory yell, I began to run to the field where the men had been fighting each other till the death just moments before.
As I top the hill that had once obscured my view of the heart of the battle, I see what would haunt my dreams for many moons to come. Men were laying everywhere. Some even lay upon one another, a yank having shot and killed men back-to-back in the same spot. Holes in the ground big enough to fit a carriage in held limbs of beings that were once men fighting for what they believed in.
Whatever caused these men to come this far in a disagreement, to kill one another, must have been the same evil that possessed Cain when he murdered his brother Abel in cold blood at the very beginning of time.
“Daisy. Daisy, help me up, girl!” I heard the voice of Pappy calling out.
I glanced over; his voice pulling me from my thoughts. He sat on the ground and wanted a helping hand in standing up. I walked over, avoiding the legs and arms of men, still sprawled out against the sloped hillside. Stopping by his side, I stretched my hand out to help him up.
“Such an awful thing that happened here.” Pappy voiced the reality.
“If only the Federals hadn’t tried to take the rebels’ land, or burn their homes and farms, everything they had worked on for their entire lives.” I replied to my grandfather.
Pappy commented, “I agree. The federals fought for the freedom of slaves, which I believe is right, but that is only a small fraction of this war. Most rebels did not fight to keep the slaves and actually thought that slavery was wrong, for God created all His children equal. The rebels fought for their families and land which the Union strived to take from them. We are all equal and all Gods’ children, so why should brethren take homesteads, livelihoods, and land from each other?”
Yes, why is it that humans were always striving for more power and control? Whatever happened to peace and prosperity? There is no peace or prosperity to be found among the dead.
As our conversation had been occurring, men all around us got up and walked back to camp, all of them picking up their canteens, haversacks, and muskets that they may have dropped while lying dead on the field. I glanced over to the far hill where bystanders sat and watched us reenactors collect our things and begin to pack up to go back to camp. They all watched with continued interest; their attention still captivated after having watched a reenactment of history just unfold once more, before their very eyes.
“The Confederacy almost won the war. Most thought they would win, when somehow the Union came back and won. How did the Confederacy lose after being so close to winning the whole thing?” I wondered aloud to Pappy.
“You ask a good question,” answered Pappy, “I have also wondered this, when the answer to this question came to me all at once. Perhaps it was God Himself who sent this answer to me. The Union was meant to win because it was God’s will. God is the greatest force there was, is, and will ever be to come. He knows what we do not and has a plan for each and every one of us. Now let me ask you something. If the Union had not won, then who would have helped save the Jews from the Germans during World War Two?”
“The United States of America would not exist if not for the Unions victory. God’s chosen people would not have been freed from Germany, and perhaps they may have all been killed!” I exclaimed in return to his question.
“Exactly. Although some things may seem a mystery when they first occur, just remember that there is a bigger reason for everything, reasons we may never know. God has a plan for everything and everyone, and we must trust in Him, no matter what happens.”
“Yes, you are correct. To gain something beautiful such as freedom, even if it is a purpose that is revealed years later, we must first trust in the Lord.” As I concluded our memorable conversation with this statement, we headed back to camp.
The cacophony of countless muskets firing all at once deafened me. The smell of black powder and sweat mixed in the air made a blend of terror that seeped into my being. Right as I began to feel dizzy from the terror a hand grasped my arm, shaking me back to reality and releasing the hold that fear had held me in.
“Daisy! We must get things prepared for when the men come back from battle!” Mammy yelled at me, after shaking me from my fright.
As I rushed back to camp, the ground began to shake, it was as if the land had been plagued by earthquakes, but I know it hadn’t. It was the largest beasts of war that had just been released, the enemies' cannons. I turned around to see where the damage had been landed, just in time to see whisps of cannon rings lifting in the air. A riveting sight created by something meant for evil. I glance down to see a dozen men dressed in gray and butternut sprawled across the hillside, their limbs tangled with each other and bent in uncomfortable positions. None of them moved.
I turned back around, picked up my long skirts, and sprinted back to the tent. The ground continued to shake as the rebels brought out their cannons and fired back at the Yankees. I had begun to collect items such as bandages and needles and thread in my arms when I heard the sound I had been waiting anxiously for, the victory rebel yell. In relief of the victory yell, I began to run to the field where the men had been fighting each other till the death just moments before.
As I top the hill that had once obscured my view of the heart of the battle, I see what would haunt my dreams for many moons to come. Men were laying everywhere. Some even lay upon one another, a yank having shot and killed men back-to-back in the same spot. Holes in the ground big enough to fit a carriage in held limbs of beings that were once men fighting for what they believed in.
Whatever caused these men to come this far in a disagreement, to kill one another, must have been the same evil that possessed Cain when he murdered his brother Abel in cold blood at the very beginning of time.
“Daisy. Daisy, help me up, girl!” I heard the voice of Pappy calling out.
I glanced over; his voice pulling me from my thoughts. He sat on the ground and wanted a helping hand in standing up. I walked over, avoiding the legs and arms of men, still sprawled out against the sloped hillside. Stopping by his side, I stretched my hand out to help him up.
“Such an awful thing that happened here.” Pappy voiced the reality.
“If only the Federals hadn’t tried to take the rebels’ land, or burn their homes and farms, everything they had worked on for their entire lives.” I replied to my grandfather.
Pappy commented, “I agree. The federals fought for the freedom of slaves, which I believe is right, but that is only a small fraction of this war. Most rebels did not fight to keep the slaves and actually thought that slavery was wrong, for God created all His children equal. The rebels fought for their families and land which the Union strived to take from them. We are all equal and all Gods’ children, so why should brethren take homesteads, livelihoods, and land from each other?”
Yes, why is it that humans were always striving for more power and control? Whatever happened to peace and prosperity? There is no peace or prosperity to be found among the dead.
As our conversation had been occurring, men all around us got up and walked back to camp, all of them picking up their canteens, haversacks, and muskets that they may have dropped while lying dead on the field. I glanced over to the far hill where bystanders sat and watched us reenactors collect our things and begin to pack up to go back to camp. They all watched with continued interest; their attention still captivated after having watched a reenactment of history just unfold once more, before their very eyes.
“The Confederacy almost won the war. Most thought they would win, when somehow the Union came back and won. How did the Confederacy lose after being so close to winning the whole thing?” I wondered aloud to Pappy.
“You ask a good question,” answered Pappy, “I have also wondered this, when the answer to this question came to me all at once. Perhaps it was God Himself who sent this answer to me. The Union was meant to win because it was God’s will. God is the greatest force there was, is, and will ever be to come. He knows what we do not and has a plan for each and every one of us. Now let me ask you something. If the Union had not won, then who would have helped save the Jews from the Germans during World War Two?”
“The United States of America would not exist if not for the Unions victory. God’s chosen people would not have been freed from Germany, and perhaps they may have all been killed!” I exclaimed in return to his question.
“Exactly. Although some things may seem a mystery when they first occur, just remember that there is a bigger reason for everything, reasons we may never know. God has a plan for everything and everyone, and we must trust in Him, no matter what happens.”
“Yes, you are correct. To gain something beautiful such as freedom, even if it is a purpose that is revealed years later, we must first trust in the Lord.” As I concluded our memorable conversation with this statement, we headed back to camp.
Youth(s) First Name and Initial of Last Name
Daisy Dalrymple
Age Division
17
Category
Short Story
County
Hampshire
