a rifle, eight silver dollars and a brisk walk/ part 2

a rifle, eight silver dollars and a brisk walk/ part 2

fiction
edward w pritchard

Sunday July 26, 3AM

Lucinda,

I am riding in a wagon down to New Lebanon, Ohio with a sixteen year old boy from Paris, Ohio which is just  South of where you are there in Alliance. The rebels are going to attack New Lebanon sometime in the next twelve hours or so, so we are hurrying  to get there. The young man I am riding with wanted to fight rebs and took his families wagon and two horses to get to Salem to join the citizens there. It was a foolish thing for him to do, everyone knows how much raiders value horses. He is just a kid and won't listen anyway so I got a ride with him. We should be there in a few hours. Lots of other people are headed down this road toward Lebanon also as there had been a call to arms. The people of Salem can rest easy it looks like; John Morgan will strike at Lebanon first. Rumor has it he wants to cross the Ohio River and then return later to Ohio. We might just as well strike them here is my opinion. 

A few hours ago we assisted a lady who was burying her silver spoons in the woods. We saw her light from the road. Her husband is already in Columbiana County and she is terrified of the rebels. I tried to reassure her as I would hope someone would do for you and our child in similar situations.

The boy I am with has never talked to a black man before.  He says there are Black people in Canton near his home but he has never been around any of us. I am sorry he is getting into this mess. He is so young but he tells me they are letting boys as young as twelve fight [ in the militias] he also says Ohio has mustered fifty thousand men to fight General Morgan's raiders, but no one can find him.

Well hopefully I can write again before the battle tomorrow,
love to you and the baby
Moseby Whitsell