Act 1

With a thought to keep production costs at a minimum, all three acts have been scheduled to occur at the Oglethorpe Plantation. The first act takes place in the latter stages of the Civil War. The citizens of Dixie are all too aware they are destined to lose this bloody war of attrition. The leaders and the soldiers all still believe in the righteousness of their cause. The simple truth is that they are outnumbered and out financed. The principle of States Rights has fallen by the wayside as abolitionists tout the depravity of slavery in the modern World. The conditions of slaves in the South were shown to be far better than the working conditions of blue collar laborers in the Northern cities. No excuse can be made for the economic necessity of slave labor, but the hypocrisy of Union politicians in bemoaning the plight of the Southern work force seemed to have no reasonable bounds. The civilian populace is comprised of females, small children, disabled ex-rebel soldiers, and the very slaves the Union forces were supposedly liberating from their chains of servitude. The cry more often heard from the hordes of freed slaves was not, "Free at last" but, instead, "Who is going to feed me?" The Union Army detachment under the civilian command of Special Agent Horatio Sherman is moving onto the grounds of the Oglethorpe Estate with absolutely no resistance at all. In fact, the general populace is on the verge of starvation after a disastrous drought and the effects of the efficient blockade of the all ports of entry into central Georgia. Miss Scarlett had not a single clue about the future. She did know that things were already about as bad as they could get. Perhaps the Union forces would be able to stabilize the deepening cycle of starvation and despair.

Curtain rises ... The scene is centered stage left with the stage right still darkened. We are in the bedroom of the Mistress of the plantation, Miss Scarlett Oglethorpe. Only Scarlett and Lucinda her personal hand maid are present.

Lucinda: (Holding up a beautiful blue evening gown) "When are you going to wear this pretty thing again?"

Scarlett: (Brushing her long dark hair in front of a non-existent mirror) "The days of pretty things are long gone, Lucy Girl. We got to think about what we are going to eat tonight. Is there any of the ham left from the smokehouse?"

Lucinda: (Puts the gown down reluctantly on the bed. She moves behind Miss Scarlett and takes the brush from her hand. Then, she continues to brush Miss Scarlett's hair in strong, steady strokes. She is humming a tune too soft and too low to be discerned.) "That ham was gone last night, Miss Scarlett. We got a passel of beans from Jesse's garden cooking up in the kettle. My, lordy, I think you got you a grey hair here, Miss Scarlett!"

Scarlett: (Grabbing the brush from Lucinda's hand and slapping her buttock hard enough to make the slender, finely featured girl wince.) "You need to do a lot more chores, if you're going to be counting my grey hairs, Miss Loosy Goosey."

(Scarlett pulls her night dress up over her shoulders revealing her bare breasts and her frilly knee-length knickers. Lucinda binds her breasts with linen to keep them from swinging in working the garden. Miss Scarlett had been reduced to field hand by sheer necessity to forestall starvation on the Oglethorpe Plantation.)

(A young pickaninny runs in and blurts out a stream of barely audible words.) "Miss Lucinda, theys men with big guns sliding down through the pasture. The road from Macon is filled with dust from all the boots and wheels a heading our way."

Lucinda: (Swats at the boy with a duster just as if he was a pesky fly.) "You best get your trouble-making bottom back down to the kitchen and shell those peas, Little Jimboy, afore I fan it with my switch."

Scarlett: (Lucinda moves over to the large French doors on stage left. She opens one and looks out. Muted sounds of running feet and muffled cries filter onto the stage. A single shot causes Scarlett to gasp out loud and throw her hand up to her mouth in fear.) "Oh, Lucy, I pray you move away from that window. If we are to be occupied, let us do it gracefully."

(A tall, heavily muscled black man, dressed in a black majordomo uniform, slips in the bedroom door and gives Lucy a small pistol.)

Rufus: "This is for Miss Scarlett. You can use it to defend her honor, if needs be. These yahoos are looking for anything not tied down. They want to make sport with any female they can corner and bend over. Even the younguns are prime for the picking. Best you lock up your Ellie Mae before they gets here." (He was referring to Lucinda's young daughter born out of wedlock in the French Quarter a little over 16 years ago.)

Scarlett: (Smoothing down the long dress hiding her luscious curves.) "Rufus, don't you be worrying about my honor. I quit worrying about that after that fine Captain Buttman screwed me by stealing my money and then screwed me so hard I couldn't walk for three days. Your honorable Miss Scarlett was a right doxie and I deserved to have my face and my honor pushed into the mud like a steamboat tramp."

Lucinda: "Miss Scarlett, we promised not to talk about that if you remember, young lady."

Rufus: "Them fellas is coming up on the porch right now, Miss Scarlett. Should I open the doors?"

Scarlett: "Right away, please, Rufus. We don't want them to think we are inhospitable. I sure don't want any damage to those fine, big doors."

(Rufus moves out the door and Lucinda hides the small pistol under Miss Scarlett's mattress. Scarlett makes a final touch on her lips to bring out the color.)

Scarlett: "Let's see what is in store for us, Dear Lucy. The main thing is we all survive. Honor and pride are not necessary for our existence, however nice it is to have them as our constant companions."

(They both exit through the door into stage right which is lit up to reveal the main entrance hall with a large chandelier and cut off spiral staircase. Rufus is opening the front doors. A few armed men tumble into the stage and take positions along the wall in silence. They are followed by a gentleman in civilian clothes. He is obviously in charge as the men come to attention in his presence. A young chocolate skinned girl runs in the front door and takes in the scene. She quickly moves behind Lucinda and wraps her bare arms around her waist. The young gentleman looks with amusement at the tableau.)

Horatio: "Is this the Oglethorpe Plantation? And, do I have the honor of addressing Miss Scarlett Oglethorpe?"

Scarlett: (Moves close to the gentleman and dips in a genteel curtsy fanning her face with her mother of pearl New Orleans fan at the same time.) "I am she, kind Sir. This plantation has been in our family since the time it was granted in 1755. Are we now under the control of Union forces? May I ask, Sir, What is your name? Why do you invade our peaceful plantation? We have no Rebel forces here."

Horatio: "Miss Scarlett. Please excuse my manners. My name is Horatio Sherman. I am here on assignment to make sure all of the slaves on this plantation have received their letters of emancipation. My records indicate you have 37 slave laborers working for you. I am also here to collect the taxes owed to the State of Georgia on behalf of the Federal Commerce Department. You owe us $2,340.69 as of the end of last month. If you are unable to pay or otherwise vacate this debt, I am authorized to sell your property at auction on the courthouse steps after 72 hours."