"One Wore Blue and One Wore Gray

         “One Wore Blue, One Wore Gray”

Suzanne Marsh

Charleston, South Carolina 1861

The large bay horse came at a full gallop into the paddock. Jake Summers sprang from the saddle:

“Ye-ha, hey Tommy, General Beauregard just fired on Fort Sumter, we are goin to war!”

Tommy felt as if he had been kicked by a horse:

“Jake, are you sure about this?”

“Tommy, you gotta join us, we need every man. With Pa’s money, I am going to be a

Captain in the Confederate Army, you could be my orderly.”

“Thanks Jake, but I am headin north, I am joinin the Union Army.”

“Tommy, you should be joinin us, you are part of us.”

“No, Jake, I ain’t. I ain’t never been. I can’t fight for a cause I don’t believe in. You remember

Bobbin?”

“Yeah, what’s your point?”

“Your Pa beat him to death with that there black snake. I seen it Jake, it weren’t pretty.”

Jake, strode over to Tommy, punched him in the gut and rode off. As Jake rode off he remembered that horrible night when Bobbin was murdered. His Pa was dead drunk, Bobbin, accidentally dropped a glass of bourbon he was serving. Pa became angry, yanked Bobbin out the door, Had him tied to a tree, lashing him until he was nothing but blood and bone. When his pa sobered up, he had no remorse for what he had done, he was however very put out that he had lost five hundred dollars, that was what Bobbin had been worth. Jake still did not understand why Tommy would not fight for the south.

Tommy, saddled Brownie, and lit out for Kittery, Maine. His uncle Josh had been writing and asking him to come to Maine to help with the crops. This seemed like a good time to go. Tommy thought that if the war did come, he would enlist up in Maine. He rode out of South Carolina, the following morning. Arriving almost a month later at Josh’s farm, Tommy dismounted. Josh, teetered toward him on his good leg:

“Tommy, boy, it is good to see you. You hear the news?”

“No Uncle Josh, I been ridin day and night to get here.”

“Tommy, we are at war with the south, it’s been in all the papers.”

Tommy was taken aback, how could that have happened in such a short time? Josh showed Tommy into the house where his aunt Millie was preparing dinner. It sure smelled good to Tommy, who had been subsisting on hard tack and biscuits for a month. They said their thanks to God for the meal. Josh turned to Tommy:

“Tommy, are you gonna go fight?”

“Yeah, Uncle Josh, I am but before I go, I will help you with the harvest.”

“Thanks Tommy, I ain’t been able to do much since that mule kicked me in leg, I reckonin

it broke some bone or other. When the harvest is done, there is a professor friend of mine,

last time we spoke, he was going to enlist. Maybe the two of you could go together.

His name is Lawrence Chamberlain, he is a professor of rhetoric and reveal religions at

Bowdoin College, where I went to college. He is a good man.”

Tommy, went to sleep that night, thinking about the fighting. He was angry with Jake, for not seeing

the evil of slavery. He hoped he would never have Jake in his sights, if he did, he had no idea what he would do. He supposed that if Jake threatened his life, he would have to kill him. He pushed the thought out of his, as he went to sleep. The next several weeks, were spent harvesting corn, and hay. Tommy was happy to be home in Kittery, Maine. His father had left Maine, to seek wealth in South Carolina, but instead became the town drunk. That was all in the past now. Jake, heard the call.

Fredericksburg, Virginia 1862

“Jake, where we at?”

“Marye’s Heights, I think the General said. We are near the town of Fredericksburg. Billy,

remember to keep your head down, when we start firin. This General Burnside, that

damn yank, is fightin us here on confederate soil. He ain’t gonna win this one either.

Soon, we will be a free country.”

Billy Jenkins, the drummer boy for Jake’s company. Time was when Billy would have been in school learning to read and write but the war or Second Rebellion as it was referred to in the south, had taken that away from him. Billy, was ten years old, and every battle Jake feared the boy would get hurt. Word came down from headquarters to move up slightly, the heights was in confederate hands. Jake turned suddenly to see a blur of blue down below. The figure on the brown horse reminded him of...’Oh, dear God, please don’t let that be Tommy, I don’t wanna have to kill him.’ as Jake uttered that prayer, the rider rode away. Jake gave a sigh of relief. He had been in battle more times than he cared to think about. He was tired and drawn, his tattered uniform, was completely worn out. He had on a pair of Blue britches he stole off a dead Yank.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 1863

General Ambrose P. Hill, his bright red hunting shirt, sticking to his skin from the humidity, watched as his troops marched toward Gettysburg in search of shoes. Most of his men were barefoot now. The lines were neat and orderly, General Harry Heath was leading. Suddenly, the confederates from South Carolina, found themselves embroiled in a battle, they were not supposed to have. General Robert E. Lee commanding general stated there was to be no battle until all the corps were up. Firing began, smoke became dense as both sides attempted to gain ground. Jake, watched in horror as men he had spent almost three years with were being shot before his very eyes. His thoughts now were of home, when he could return. He thought of his mama crying the day he left, he had not had leave to return home.

Thirst was beginning to take hold over Jake, he knew according to the map that there was a spring, Spangler’s Spring not far from where he was. He had to have water, the thirst had become unbearable. He took Billy and several canteens, heading for the spring. He arrived there to find a group of union soldiers, among them was Tommy Slattery, his friend, at least before the war began. Jake, tried to sneak back to where the regiment awaited, with Billy on his heals. They were spotted:

“Stop or I shoot Reb!”

Jake turned around there stood Tommy:

“Jake!”

“Yeah, Tommy it’s me. I know I don’t smell good; my uniform is part yank and part reb.

Can we please have some water? We been fightin all mornin.”

Tommy, nodded his head as Jake and Billy began to fill the canteens. Tommy, knew in his heart he could never hurt Jake. Jake turned to head back up Culp’s Hill when heard Tommy yell:

“See you in hell Johnny Reb.”

He turned:

“See you in hell Billy Yank.”