Civil War on Sunday (3 page)

Jack and Annie walked with the soldiers into the camp.

Outside one tent was a long line of men in torn blue uniforms. They looked tired and hurt. Many were bloody and barely able to stand.

Women wearing dark dresses were giving out food and water to the men in line.

“Where are we?” asked Annie.

“I’ll find out,” said Jack.

He pulled out their book and found a picture of the campsite. He read:

“That’s a lot,” said Annie.

“It sure is,” said Jack.

He pulled out his notebook and wrote:

Jack read aloud again from the book:

“Wow,” said Annie. “Maybe
we
can be nurses.”

“Forget it,” said Jack. “Kids can’t be nurses.”

Jack wanted to find the special writing for Morgan and go home. The sad scene at the field hospital was making him feel sick.

“I’ll just ask,” said Annie.

She headed over to a nurse cooking over a campfire.

“Annie! We’ve got a mission!” Jack called.

But Annie kept going.

Jack heaved a sigh. He tucked his notebook and the Civil War book under his arm and followed her.

Waves of heat rose from a small cooking fire. The young nurse was heating a pot of coffee.

Flies buzzed everywhere.

“Hello,” said Annie.

The nurse barely smiled at them.

Her face was red and beaded with sweat. Her eyes looked terribly tired.

“Where are you from?” she asked.

“Frog Creek,” said Annie. “We’d like to volunteer as nurses.”

The young woman didn’t seem at all surprised.

“We could certainly use some help,” she said, sighing. “Some of us have not slept for days.”

“Why not?” asked Jack.

“The wounded are coming here from a battle near Richmond,” said the nurse. “More and more keep coming. It never seems to end.”

“Just tell us what to do,” said Annie.

“While we feed the new patients, you can go to the first two tents,” the young nurse said, “and give the other soldiers their noon meal.”

She pointed to a basket filled with bread and potatoes. Next to it was a ladle and a bucket filled with water.

“Anything else?” Annie asked.

“Just try to give them comfort,” the nurse said.

“How do we do that?” said Annie.

“I don’t have time to show you,” the nurse said. “But here’s a list of things that can help.”

She pulled a piece of paper from her apron pocket and handed it to Annie.

Annie read the list to Jack:

“Follow that list,” said the nurse, “and you can’t go wrong.”

The nurse took the pot of coffee from the fire and carried it to the line of men.

“Follow … ” said Jack. “
Follow that list
 … ”

“That’s what she said,” said Annie.

Jack took the list from her.

“Don’t you get it?” he said. “
This is it!
We found it! The special writing for Morgan’s library!
Something to follow
.”

“Yes!” said Annie.

Jack put the paper into his knapsack.

“It was handed right to us!” he said, smiling. “We can go home now!”

“Oh, no! Not now!” said Annie. “We have to help as nurses first.”

“But, Annie—” said Jack.

She picked up the food basket. Then she started toward the row of white tents.

“Wait—we’re supposed to leave,” Jack said weakly. “Our mission is over.”

The truth was that he didn’t want to help. He didn’t want to be around wounded and suffering soldiers. It was too sad.

“Bring the water bucket and the ladle!” Annie shouted. Then she disappeared inside the first tent.

Jack groaned. He knew he couldn’t change her mind.

He pulled out the list and read the first line:
Be Cheerful
.

“Oh, brother,” he said.

Jack put the list back into his knapsack. He picked up the heavy bucket. Hurrying clumsily after Annie, he tried to smile.

Jack carried the water bucket into the tent.

The scene inside was like a nightmare.

The tent was hot and stuffy. A dozen injured soldiers lay on small cots. Some called for food. Others begged for water or just moaned.

Jack wanted to rush back outside. But Annie got right to work. She rolled up her sleeves and smiled.

“Hi, everybody!” she said cheerfully.

None of the soldiers smiled back.

“I have good news!” she said. “We’ve brought lunch!”

Annie moved down the row of cots. She handed out pieces of bread and chunks of potatoes to all the patients.

“You’ll be feeling better soon,” she said to one sick man. “You’ll see your family again,” she told another.

Jack looked around nervously. He wasn’t sure what to do.

“Give them water, Jack!” Annie called to him.

Jack saw a tin cup beside each man’s cot. He picked up the first cup. Carefully, he used the ladle to fill it with water.

Keeping his eyes down, Jack handed the cup to the patient. He felt shy and uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to say.

Jack moved on to the next patient, then the next. He gave each wounded man a cup of water. But he never looked right at any of them or spoke a word.

Soon Jack and Annie had finished passing out food and water.

“Good-bye!” Annie said.

She waved and left the tent. Jack quickly followed her.

“Let’s go home now,” he begged once they were outside. “We’ve got what we came for.”

“If we leave now, the patients in the next tent will go hungry and thirsty,” said Annie.

Jack sighed.

“Okay,” he said. “But after we take care of them, we’re leaving for sure.”

He followed Annie into the next tent.

Just like the last tent, it was filled with wounded soldiers. But the soldiers in this tent were all African-Americans.

“Hi, everybody!” Annie said, smiling warmly.

Again, she passed out potatoes and bread. She also talked and made jokes.

Jack poured water into each of the tin cups. Again, he didn’t speak to any of the soldiers. But as he handed over the last cup, a patient spoke to him.

“Thank you for your kindness, son,” the soldier said.

Jack glanced shyly at the man on the cot. He was an elderly, silver-haired black man.

“You’re welcome,” said Jack.

He tried to think of something else to say. He remembered Annie’s cheerful words.

“You’ll get well soon,” he told the patient. “You’ll be with your family again.”

The man shook his head.

“No. I’ll never be with my family again,” he said quietly. “My wife and children were sold long ago.”

“Sold?” said Jack.

“Yes. We were slaves,” the man said.

“
You
were a slave?” asked Jack.

“All of us in this tent were once slaves,” the man said. “We ran away from our owners in the South to fight to end slavery, to fight for freedom for our people. I ran barefoot for over thirty miles to tell the Union soldiers that the Confederates were going to attack.”

The man fell silent.

“You’re a very brave freedom fighter,” said Jack.

“Thank you, son.” The man closed his eyes.

Jack wanted to know more about slavery. But he didn’t want to bother the weary patient. He pulled out the Civil War book.

He found a picture of African-Americans standing on a platform. The men, women, and children had chains on their hands and feet.

Jack read:

Jack looked down at the man’s face. He looked very weary.

Jack pulled the nurse’s list of rules from his knapsack.

Lessen sorrow and give hope,
he read.

Jack put the list away. He leaned close to the man and spoke in a soft voice: “One day your great-great-grandchildren will be doctors and lawyers,” he said.

The man opened his eyes.

Jack went on. “They’ll help run the government and schools. They’ll be senators and generals and teachers and principals.”

The man stared hard into Jack’s eyes.

“Can you see the future, son?” he asked.

Jack nodded. “In a way … ” he said.

The man smiled a beautiful smile.

“Thank you, son,” he said. Then he closed his eyes again.

“Good luck,” whispered Jack. He hoped the brave man would live to enjoy freedom.

“Ready to go home now, Jack?” said Annie. She had finished passing out the food.

Jack nodded.

As he and Annie stepped out of the tent, they heard someone shout, “She’s back!”

A horse-drawn wagon was barreling into the camp.

“Who’s back?” asked Annie.

“Clara Barton,” a patient said. “She runs this hospital.”

“
Clara Barton!
” said Annie. “I don’t believe it!”

“Who’s Clara Barton?” asked Jack. He’d heard the name before. But he couldn’t remember who she was.

“Who’s Clara Barton?” said Annie. “Are you nuts?”

She ran to meet the wagon.