Will had seen the militia out making patrol rounds as he made his way toward the Adams Farm. They had not seen him or else he would have probably been interrogated and would have had to lie so as not to tell them where he had been. He finally made it back to the barn to tie up the horse, relieved to see that there were no lamps lit in the house. He snuck in the back door and made his way to the makeshift bedroom he had been sleeping in. However, as he crossed the kitchen, he saw Julia sitting up in her bed in the room beyond. He sighed, and she stood up to follow him into his room.“Well?” she asked, closing the door behind her.“Well, what?” he asked, taking off his hat and coat and throwing them over the back of a chair.“Aren’t you going to tell me where you’ve been?” she asked a bit too noisily.“Not so loud!” he said, sitting down on the cot and taking off his boots. “Why do you care w

March 1862“Let the blessings of spring be bountiful, and let our hearts be open in this time of new life and new promise. In Jesus blessed name we ask these things, Amen.”Cordia had been trying to listen to Rev. Jacobson’s sermon, but her mind was full of turbulence these days, and she was having trouble concentrating on the outside world. Thankfully, she had been hearing from Will on a regular basis. Throughout the winter, there had been little need to worry, as his unit had not been very active, only a small skirmish from time to time. Yet, as the days started to grow long again, and all things dead seemed to reawaken, she grew more worried that the spring would change its role from bringer of life to the season of mourning. With warmer weather, more battles were apt to happen, more lives likely to be lost. And though Will had promised he would return, part of her still agonized over the idea that he might not be able to keep that promise

Will had heard that some were calling this place Shiloh after a church nearby. However, from his vantage point, Will could see nothing peaceful about it. The day before, he and the rest of Grant’s men had been bivouacked near the river, waiting for reinforcements from Ohio. They knew that P.G.T. Beauregard and his troops were in the area; however, they had no idea that they were so incredibly close.The Rebs had been successful that first day, pushing them back toward Owl Creek. The ground had been terrible, like fighting in a pile of fresh horse manure, the mud clinging to their shoes and their pants, weighing them down and making any sort of a hasty retreat impossible. Luckily, the enemy had seemed confused, and Will and the men he was fighting with were able to drop back to a better position. It seemed like the Sunken Road they chose for cover was good ground, and it proved to be so when the Confederate Army could not make its way through what they were now calling t

“Lovely evening, isn’t it Miss Cordia?” he asked. He was walking on her left side so that his right arm, his only arm, was near her, and she anticipated that, eventually, he would offer it to her. Despite his disability, Carey seemed to do everything any other man could do, and it was quite easy for her and others to forget that he had returned from war less than whole.She peered up at the stars for a moment, considering the question. If he were speaking of the works of God that surrounded them, then, yes, it was a lovely evening. If he were referring to the company, her answer would be far different. Finally, she replied simply, “The sky is gorgeous.”“So it is,” he agreed without so much as glancing up. “As are you, Miss Cordia,” he added, trying a bit of charm.Ignoring his comment and hoping to remind him a bit of the sorrow that hung over her now as she made a familiar journey with a less familiar indiv

As Cordia pulled into the drive that led to the barn, she noticed a familiar horse tied outside of the stables. She found it rather odd that Carey Adams would be at their house this early on a Wednesday afternoon. It wasn’t quite super time yet, and though he had been a frequent guest of late, he usually didn’t arrive until much later in the day. She also noticed that her father’s cart was in the barn, which meant that he was also home. At first, her heart caught in her throat, afraid they had some terrible news to tell her. But then she realized that no one had any idea that she was in love with Will. If something happened to him, she would have to find out from Julia or his aunt. Her parents would never think to break such news on her lightly.Neither would Carey Adams. He would probably be sufficiently delighted to find out that something awful had happened to Will, simply because Carey seemed to be pleased anytime another human being suffered. The though