Chapter 3

I rode quickly to Ladd. The road from Stuarts Draft to Sherando was hilly and steep, so I went by Lynnhurst. Most of the houses along the road were burned out. I was very fearful for my parents.

I turned at Mt. Torrey Road and slowed. I tried to gather myself for the worst. At the Furnace, I tied the packhorse at the edge of the stream behind the old furnace. I checked the Sharps and the Henry. Both were loaded and ready. I walked my horse around the bend. My family's house was gutted. The stone walls were the only thing that remained of the house. I felt very sick.

I saw our two mules and our buckboard by the side of the house. Maybe they made it. I carefully moved to the buckboard. Four negroes in uniforms were there. I tried to keep my voice calm as I carefully watched the men for any sign that they might try something. I said, "Who's in charge here?"

One said, "I am."

Another one said, "What's it to you?"

"I'm the regular Army major who will blow you away if you do not show the proper respect."

The one who challenge me said, "So..." Boom

Before he could finish, I put a round from the Henry into his head. His head exploded like a watermelon.

I said, "Anybody else?" I watched them closely.

"Who owns this place?"

"Mr. Phillips, the colonel's friend."

"Where's this Phillips?"

"He's in the courthouse. He records property."

"Where are the people who owned it?"

"Dead. Some women are hiding out in the woods around here. We haven't been able to catch them. Somebody got the young one, but I don't know what happened to her."

"Who knows?"

"You kin?"

One of them laughed and, Boom, I shot him. I moved the lever twice more and shot the other two also. "Bastards." I slit their throats with the Bowie. I picked up the Henry shell casing and got on my horse.

I rode around to the back. I saw two graves. I rode back to my packhorse and went to the lake. No one was there. I cut across to South Pork Back Creek and to the two big ponds. The two ponds were where our stock watered. No stock or people were there. So I rode my horse up the steep path toward Reeds Gap. My brothers lived up in the high pastures and farmed the meadows. If my family were hiding, it would probably have been there.

Both of my brothers' houses were burned out and there was no stock around. My heart pounded and I threw up. They said that women were in the woods. Don't get mad. Take it easy and find the women. You can't help them dead.

I galloped back to the main house and loaded the bodies on the buckboard. I dumped the bodies and led the mules to a small barn near Sherando Lake. Then I rode back to the main house. I saw the hen house had fresh eggs. I was surprised that foxes had gotten them.

I went to the graves behind the house and saw the marker with my father's name. I said a prayer for my parents and mounted up. I walked my horse and tried to center myself as I went to the Courthouse of Augusta County in Waynesboro. The area between Sherando and Waynesboro looked untended and rough. An older home in Sherando still stood. I want to scream and cry and kill these bastards. Easy, I'm not going to do anyone any good if I don't control myself. I'm Major Jack Gannon, USA. Push Howard away for a while.

I went past the turn to Stuarts Draft in Sherando. All the homes from Sherando to the where the river crossed the Waynesboro road were burned out. Two homes on the other side of the river still stood. In Waynesboro, the courthouse and a few houses remained intact. All were occupied by troops. Near the town square, three negroes openly fondled and humiliated three young white women. I found a sergeant. He saluted. I said, "I'm glad someone around here has some military courtesy."

He saw the ring and said, "Most of those are in the constabulary. They protect the carpetbaggers and the confiscated property. You're the only regular I've seen sir."

"Where do I find the billeting office?"

"Mr. Phillips, a friend of the colonel, controls the allocation of houses and land. I'm afraid most of the good property is gone. He's on the third floor across from the colonel's office in the courthouse."

The first floor of the courthouse was filled with constabulary. One reached for me and I said, "If you want to keep hand, you'll keep it to yourself." I moved my hand to the cavalry sword. When he moved his hand back, I undid the flap on my pistol holder. And if you don't come to attention when I address you, I will shoot you where you stand." He stood but he didn't snap to attention.

The Union sergeant and two privates at the stairs snapped to and did not challenge me as I walked by. A sergeant and several constabulary guards sat on the third floor landing and guarded access to the offices. I walked purposefully by the guards to the office of the carpetbagger. I knocked on the carpetbagger's door with my palm open and stuck Jack's ring against the doorframe.

I entered and said, "I've come for a proper billeting."

"Major, most of the good property has been assigned."

"I am sure that some property was saved for the billeting of Regular Army Officers. I require, land with trout streams, fishing ponds, game and a place to ride. A boxed mountain canyon is preferable. If I am going to be in this god-forsaken place, I will have sporting property. I was told of some place called Sherando. Do you know of such property?" You look like a Chub. I like to slit you open, you carpetbagging bastard.

Chub looked at me and said, "I have something I think will work." He pointed on the map to my parents' property. He indicated from the Mount Torrey Road and Stuarts Draft Road west until the end of the canyon. That was more property than the family had owned.

"Good. Put it in a local proxy's name for me. Who owned the property?"

He read off some records. He named off my father and brothers. Then he called the names of some of our neighbors that had owned the other parcels.

"Make the deed to Howard Randolph. I would like to go there today. So, I will wait for you to deliver the deed by the stream just below the courthouse. I saw three men of the constabulary that I must deal with. Some of the men of your constabulary need to learn the customs of the military. I almost shot one a man in lobby who had the effrontery to almost grab for me. Good military order and discipline are lacking here. They cannot be allowed to disgrace the uniform. I believe that is one reason, the General posted me here."

I smiled and looked at Chub, "No regular officer would allow such behavior. Oh, may I say how much I do appreciate you're handling this deed transfer business personally. After I have the troops in shape, I know you will be safer and the troops will be more responsive. In fact, I guarantee it. My mission is to shape things up and I shall. I will really enjoy fishing and hunting in an isolated setting. The last few battles took something out of me. I would like some peace and quiet until I have to report."

Chub said, "I understand completely. I will take care of the matter immediately."

"Thank you for your courtesy. I am due leave before reporting in. I had hoped to spend some time away from things. Trout fishing would be a nice diversion. I may find a belle for my other pleasures."

I walked out of his office and the courthouse alone. I thought that one of the women, who I had seen fondled, looked a lot like a friend of my younger sister. I went across the square to the three constabulary deputies with the women. One of the women was a well-put together dirty blond. The other two were brunettes. All three were fifthly. Their dresses were torn and dirty. The humiliation showed on their faces and in their eyes. To be shown as a soldier's slut in public would have been humiliating, but a constabulary slut must have been really humiliating. The leader, a muscular negro said, "Soldier boy is back."

I pulled my pistol and shot him in the head. Then I shot the other two. I looked at the women and said, "Wait for me at the stream behind the courthouse. You belong to me now. Go!" They walked away stunned.

I expected Union soldiers to rush to me. None moved. I holstered my pistol and mounted and walked my horse behind the courthouse and to the stable. I had the groomsman prepare the single horse carriage and the buckboard wagon.

I took the carriage and went to the stream. "Take this to Sherando and wait for me."

"It is not safe to travel alone," one woman said.

I looked at her very coldly and said, "It is much less safe not to do as I say. Okay, wait at the river crossing bridge."

They hurried into the carriage and drove off. The summary execution of the three men was still fresh in their minds. I reloaded the Colt and waited for Chub.

Chub came out with a large armed constabulary deputy. He gave me several deeds. "Everything is recorded."

"Good. My horse is at the stable. I shall go to the property immediately."

"The house on the property is occupied. Do you wish for a member of the constabulary to go with you?"

I smiled and said, "I don't think that will be necessary."

When the big deputy turned, I put my pistol barrel against his back and fired. The report was muffled. Then I shot Chub in the right eye with a small derringer. I walked to the stable, tied my mount to the back of the wagon and drove the team around the corner of the stable to the bodies. I put the bodies in the wagon, covered them and drove off. I didn't feel a thing. The big deputy's body was hard to get into the wagon. He was very heavy.

I met the women at the river crossing. I climbed down and had one of the women drive the wagon. I rode my horse behind the wagon. We crossed a small Bailey bridge and trotted to Sherando. We rode until we were in sight of my new house. "Stop. The house is occupied. I will clear it before we move in."

I went to the house. A black man, woman, and three children were in the house. "I am the new owner of the land west of here to along the canyon that holds Sherando Lake."

The black man said, "We was promised sixty acres." We walked to the back and he showed me tilled land. He said, "There is a small house, big enough for us back there?"

I said, "I will deed the acreage and the small house to you, if you promise to share some of the produce with us. You and your family could stay in the big house, if you would keep the ladies until I can build something near the lake."

He smiled. I reached my hand out. He was surprised by the gesture and then we shook. "I am going to Sherando Lake tonight. If I share some of the provisions with you, would you drive a wagon with me? I don't think a Regular Army Major would drive a wagon full of supplies."

He nodded. I rode back to the wagon and carriage. "There is a family in the house, not constabulary. Do any of you have family?"

Everyone said that her family had been killed. "Do you have anything you want to get? Any clothes or possessions?" All the women had trunks hidden away. "We best get your things now." I left the wagon and they trotted the buggy back to Waynesboro. I rode behind them with my rifle in my arms. We got their clothes and trunks quickly and then rode back to Sherando. At Sherando, I got the wagon. "We are going to search the remains on the house for skillets, cooking utensils and anything else we can use." While they looked through the remains of my burned out house, I took the bodies of Chub and the deputy and buried them. Then I caught three fish and returned. We cooked the fish in a skillet the women had found. I took a few sweet potatoes from the root cellar.

One of the women said, "We can't stay here. We don't have a place to stay or bedding."

I said coldly, "I'll take you back to the square if you prefer."

"No, please. I won't complain anymore. Please don't take me back." There was real fear in her voice. I thought, Poor girl is scared to death. I guess if someone walked up beside me and just shot three people in the head, I would be a little afraid of him too. If I don't get a grip, I'll go nuts. Battle fatigue, I guess?

I nodded. We went to a lean to beside the small lake. "Undress and bathe. The water is cold, but this small pond is the warmest. I won't sleep with you until you have cleaned." I undressed and got in the water. The cold water deflated my erection. I scrubbed with the soap and then passed the bar to one of the girls.