Afternoon of October 15, 1863
Chattanooga
Eli read, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind.”
That was as far as he had progressed, struggling for hours every day, each word a triumph. He began and ended each lesson reading again what he deciphered from the tumble of letters on the page. It was the hardest thing he had ever done, but the mysteries of the written word slowly, reluctantly revealed themselves to him. He would unravel it all, no matter how long it took.
He head ached again and he closed the book. It started to rain and he was glad to be in the fort instead of out in the exposed breastworks. Looking about he found his comrades doing what they always did in the long hours of their guard duty, gossiping endlessly about the state of affairs in the both the Union and rebel armies.
Following the battle General Rosecrans initiated a major reorganization of the army and General Wood was no longer their division commander. They were transferred into General Sheridan’s division, instead.
“I liked General Wood,” Mark Larsen said. “He’s fair and gave our regiment the full credit we had coming for saving this army.”
“Yeah,” said Russ, “but it was his damn fault the army needed saving. If he hadn’t pulled us out to make that damned big hole for Longstreet’s boys to walk through easy as you please, we could a held ‘em at Chickamauga. Everyone says so.”
“Well Sheridan’s whole damn division ran like chickens from a fox and skedaddled back to Chattanooga, and Sheridan with ‘em. That don’t impress me much. We sure could a used them boys on Horseshoe Ridge.”
“Well they was flanked,” argued Russ. “He didn’t have no choice.”
“Well Wood was ordered to pull us out by Rosecrans his self. What choice did he have?”
“Rosecrans don’t like it when orders ain’t followed,” said Big Joe. “And old Rosie, he got himself a temper from what I hear.”
Since their defeat at Chickamauga, Eli found the general mood ran strongly against Rosecrans throughout the army, himself included. If they had won that battle they would be in Georgia advancing on Atlanta instead of being pinned down in Chattanooga. Eli was so impatient to be on the move again he felt like bursting his skin.
Dimly in the distance Eli heard the sound of rebel cheering, and he stood with several others to try to see why.
“Wonder what they got to cheer about?” said Steve Blue.
“What don’t they got to cheer about?” said Mark. “They got us sit’en down here like fish in a barrel.”
“It’s old Jeff Davis his self,” said Hayes looking off in the distance. “He’s been with Braggs’ army for some days now. I read it in one of them rebel newspapers. Probably just gave his boys a nice speech.”
“Probably told them he’s gonna send Bragg back to Richmond. I hear them rebs hate Bragg even worse’n we do old Rosie,” said Mark.
Hayes shook his head. “Naw,” he said, “Davis ain’t gonna replace Bragg.”
“Then why’d he come out?” said Eli, surprised Hayes seemed so sure of himself. Almost every night a few rebel deserters came into their lines looking to get out of the war, and the one thing they all agreed on was how much they hated Bragg. “I hear he spends more time fighting his own generals than he does us. They say he even had General Polk, one of his most senior commanders, arrested.”
“Stands to reason he’d come out and make the change himself. Otherwise, why go to all the bother?” said Al.
“I was in the Mexican War with Bragg,” said Hayes, shaking his head. “Davis got his self in a whole heap a trouble and it seemed them Mexicans might kill every last man in his command when Bragg saved his sorry hide. Davis ain’t the kind to forget a thing like that. Bragg stood by Davis, now Davis is gonna by God stand by him. That’s the way them Southern gentlemen are, you see. Davis come out to settle things down for his old friend, is all. Just you wait and see. I know them boys.”
“Well,” said Joe, “I’d sure rather be fight’en Bragg. We can whup him, and we will, too.”
“Pashaw,” said Blue. “Looks to me like we’s the ones got ourselves over a barrel just now. With the president of the whole damn Confederacy up there, I’ll bet they come down on us like wild pigs just so Jeff Davis can sit ‘n enjoy the show.”
“I hope you’re right,” said Hayes, eyeing Blue. “I sure do. We got us a strong position here, and we’d give old Davis a show he wouldn’t never forget.”
Hayes shook his head. “But that ain’t gonna happen. With us on less’n half rations, and even the horses starving, they’re just gonna sit like a flock of vultures until we’re ripe for the picking.”