The Raging Hearts: The Coltrane Saga, Book 2 (3 page)

General Johnston had called on Generals Bragg, Hardee and Hampton to join him in a surprise attack on Sherman’s left wing before Sherman could consolidate all his armies in Goldsboro. These three small Confederate armies numbered only twenty thousand men. They knew that their only chance to destroy Sherman’s larger army would be a surprise attack on the flank of a divided army. In all, Sherman had sixty thousand men, divided into three sections—left and right wings, and middle army.

Johnston chose to attack the extreme left wing of Sherman’s army approaching from Fayetteville in the west, thinking this the weakest and most spread out segment of the armies. So he hurried from Smithfield where he had been concentrating men and supplies to cut Sherman off, reaching Bentonville almost a day ahead of Sherman.

For three days the battle raged, from March 19 to March 21, 1865. More than one hundred thousand troops were involved. The first day’s battle was won by the Confederates, but the second and third days were lost as the South suffered heavy casualties. General Johnston had not figured that Sherman’s middle army was so close behind his advance guard, enabling him to reinforce his men quickly. Thus, the tide turned against the South. Casualty records reported 2,825 Confederate soldiers killed, wounded or missing. There were 1,646 Federal casualties.

Johnston retreated northward over Mill Creek toward Smithfield during the night of the third day of battle, and Sherman was content to let him go, for most of his men were weary after their seven-week march of four hundred and thirty miles from Savannah to Goldsboro.

As Kitty Wright, Travis Coltrane and Sam Bucher made their way into town, they passed many of Sherman’s men camped along the road.

“Where’d you pick up that pretty Southern belle?” a bedraggled soldier called to Travis, recognizing him. “Is that what you were a’doing while we were fighting our butts off?”

Travis ignored him. Kitty, sitting behind him on the horse, put her arms about his waist a little bit tighter. The looks the men gave her were frightening. Travis sensed as much and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you’re safe, Kitty. They won’t bother you.”

“What about the other women in Goldsboro?” she asked worriedly, turning her face as a soldier made an obscene gesture. “Everyone has heard that your General Sherman allows all kinds of horrors—killing, burning and rape.”

“It’s been a long war, Kitty. The men are tired, and they’re ready to go home. They are only trying to punish the South for dragging out the damn war, and starting it as well.”

She straightened. “And what about you, Travis? Have you gone about the countryside looting and murdering and raping to punish the South?”

“No,” he said quietly. “I’ve killed, yes. So many I lost count. I never stole anything unless it meant the difference in my starving or not. As for rape, no, I never had to rape any woman.”

She bristled angrily, and he chuckled. “Now, now, Kitty, you’re letting your jealousy show, along with your Southern pride. If you’re going to be the woman of a Union cavalryman, you’re going to have to get over some of both.”

“I’ll never give up my Southern pride. This is my country. These are my people.”

“Your father was killed by one of your people,” he reminded her tartly. “Not by one of mine.”

Closing her eyes, she waited for the wave of bitterness to pass. “Nathan Collins was not typical of the gentle Southern people. He was a scoundrel and a traitor, and I never want to hear his name again.”

“I imagine you will, though. It’s likely that deserters hiding in the bushes saw what happened, and you can be sure they’ll spread the word. Nathan Collins will be a hero in these parts, if them people here hated your father the way I think they did. And you talk of staying and rebuilding his farm.” He snorted.

“Of course I’m going to stay and rebuild the farm,” she flared, her violet eyes flashing. “It’s my land. I promised my father I would never give it up. One day it will be the finest farm in all of Wayne County. I’ll make it a tribute to my father. I’ll never let people forget what a fine man he truly was.”

She felt him sigh, saw the slight shaking of his head.

“Don’t you believe me, Travis? Can’t you see why it’s so important to me to make that land prosper? It was my father’s dream, and I owe it to his memory to make that dream come true. If you loved him as you say you did, then you share that dream also.”

He took a deep breath. “Kitty, the only dream I have right now is to see this war officially end, and then I want to make you my wife. I want us to make a life together, wherever we can find peace. Now, can’t you share my dream?”

For some reason, she was frightened. “Where do you propose to find this peace, Travis?”

“Well, not here in Wayne County on land that belonged to a man everyone hated, that’s for sure. You want your neighbors to burn you out again? And how do you think they’d take to a Yankee soldier coming in to settle on that land? They’ll hate you as much as they hated your father. You would be asking for trouble, Kitty, and you would never know any peace. No, darling, it would be far better for you and me to go far away from here, to forget the pain of the past and look to the future. I had planned to talk about this later, but you brought it up, and I can’t stand to hear you talk on and on about the rosy world ahead on your father’s farmland. There will never be anything here but trouble.”

“I’ll never leave,” she cried, leaning back away from him. “You can’t make me, Travis.”

He reined the horse to a stop, motioning to Sam to keep going. They were in a bend on the road, with thickets on each side. No one was about. Travis got down out of the saddle, then reached to put firm hands about Kitty’s waist and pull her down beside him.

“Yes, I can make you leave, my darling,” he whispered, pulling her close. She struggled against his chest. “I can make you leave because you love me as I love you, and you know it is meant for us to be together. You are going to go with me now, and I think we should be married for decency’s sake.” He smiled, eyes twinkling.

“Marry you?” she gasped. “Right now? And do what, Travis Coltrane? The war isn’t over yet. What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”

“You’re coming with me as I march with General Sherman,” he said, as though it were quite simple. “We have hospital wagons, too, you know. I can see that you are assigned to ride with them. When the war is officially over, and I am discharged, we’ll go home to Louisiana. Oh, Kitty, wait till you see the bayou country there! It’s beautiful, like God spent extra time there so it would be special.”

“You are out of your mind!” She pushed him away, trembling. “Travis, you know how I feel about Poppa’s land. How could I just walk away from it? You ask if I love you, and I tell you I do. You claim to love me, yet you propose to take me a million miles away to a strange country, away from everything I have ever known.”

“We’ll make a new life together, Kitty. We’ll have our own family, and we won’t think about the past.”

Why wasn’t he taking her seriously? “I won’t leave here, Travis. And if you love me as you say you do, you won’t ask me to go. You will stay here with me and help me make that land prosper. We have our future right here.”

His eyes were no longer shining. “Kitty, you are tired, and so am I. You’ve been through quite an ordeal in the past day. You lost your father. You realized what a scoundrel Nathan really was. I don’t think now is the time for planning. Suppose we go on our way. Once we get to Goldsboro, we can spend time talking. If we keep on this way, we are only going to hurt each other, saying things we may regret.”

Suddenly she threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. This man had saved her life many times, seen her through much anguish. She loved him with all her heart. With tear-streaked face, she lifted her lips for his kiss. His hands squeezed her against him, closer.

“Well, well, how sweet the spoils of war.”

They sprang apart, jerking their heads about to see two soldiers on foot, both grinning. The one who had spoken saluted. “Captain Coltrane, you sure don’t waste any time. Where’d you find the little filly? She looks so willing, too. Hell, we found us a woman last night, and it took three of us to hold her down so we could take turns. It was worth it, though. Some of these Southern women got some sweet ass.”

Travis’s fist went crashing into his mouth, sending him sprawling to the ground. His companion started to move closer, in defense, but Travis had his side arm out. “Now let me tell you bastards a thing or two,” he snarled as the man on the ground raised his head dizzily, blood pouring from his mouth. “This is Miss Kitty Wright, and she is the woman I plan to marry. So you spread the word that she is to be treated with absolute respect. Any man who offends her will answer to me. And as for the other women in town, I’d better not hear of any more violations. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir,” the man still standing said, helping his friend to his feet. He was trembling with anger but knew better than to cross Travis Coltrane.

The two moved on. Travis got on his horse and helped Kitty up behind him. They rode along in silence. Rounding a hilltop to find Sam waiting, he called out, “We’ve been asked to camp outside town while General Schofield makes ready a welcome.”

“Did he have any resistance in Goldsboro?” Kitty asked worriedly. “Was there much fighting?”

“None at all,” Sam told her. “General Johnston had ordered every available soldier in eastern North Carolina to join him in his stand against Sherman at Bentonville, so all Schofield had to do was march straight in from New Bern. The word from town is that everything is peaceful.”

“No rape? No senseless killing?” Kitty cried. “And you say this General Schofield is a
Yankee
? Are you sure?”

Sam looked at Travis. Travis sighed. “Kitty, that’s enough. Your beloved Rebels have done some murdering and raping of their own. Neither side can boast of many angels in this war. You’ve known for quite a while now that it was inevitable the Union Army would march into Goldsboro. So you can stop acting so shocked.”

“What happened to General Bragg?” Kitty asked Sam, ignoring Travis. “He was to stand against Schofield below Kinston at Southwest Creek.”

Sam and Travis exchanged looks, then Travis laughed. “Now, how did you learn so much? That kind of information is generally known only by high-ranking officers.”

“I overheard many high-ranking officers talking in the Goldsboro hospital when they came in for treatment. Well, go on. Tell me what happened to General Bragg.”

“He engaged and delayed Schofield where you say he did, and I hear he captured about fifteen hundred men. But he also lost a good bit of soldiers himself. When he heard about Sherman moving so fast toward Goldsboro, he went back there, and they had already set up breast-works—”

“I know about those,” Kitty said, nodding anxiously. “And what happened then? They were quite extensive—”

“He never got a chance to use them. Sherman was on his tail, so he retreated to keep from being captured. We heard he crossed the river and went to catch up with Johnston at Smithfield.”

“And the citizens of Goldsboro just welcomed the Yankees with open arms?” Kitty blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“You sure don’t,” Travis snapped. “You don’t realize that the damned war is about over. The South is soundly beaten.”

Sam told her that early that morning the mayor of the town had ridden his horse out to meet Union officers and ask for their peaceful entry into Goldsboro. In return for that peace, the citizens had offered to share their homes. “General Schofield and General Terry already rode in.”

“Mayor James Privett!” Kitty spat. “The coward! They should have taken up their arms and—”

Travis turned to stare at the angry woman waving her arms in the air. “Are you crazy, Kitty? Have you taken leave of your senses? We would have charged into that town and killed everybody in it and then burned it to the ground. A smart man knows when he’s licked. And you’d be a smart woman if you’d realize that you are licked. Not only by the Yankees but by me, as well.”

Sam laughed, and Travis joined him, and that just made Kitty all the madder. He was not going to treat her like a trophy of war. Damn him! “I’m not camping here,” she cried, sliding off the back of the horse unceremoniously and almost losing her balance. “I refuse to march into town with the damn Yankees. I’m going on ahead. They will be needing me at the hospital.”

Travis had dismounted and grabbed her before she took two steps. Swinging her back against him, he growled, “You are not going into town without me, Kitty Wright, now get that through your pretty little head. We’re going to camp right here in these woods, tonight. We’re going to dump you in the river to wash off the blood and mud, and when we march into town tomorrow morning, you’re going to look like the beautiful woman you are. If I let you go traipsing in there alone, the way you look now, there’s no telling what might happen to you. I don’t know the situation there, and neither does Sam. He’s only going by hearsay.”

“I am not your prisoner.” She tried to jerk away, but he held her tightly.

“You are now, damn it. If you act like a fool, Kitty, I’ll treat you like one. I sometimes find your temper and spunk charming, but at other times, like right now, I find you quite annoying. If you continue, I’m going to turn you over my knee and give you the sound spanking you deserve.

“I love you, Kitty, with all my heart.” He spoke more quietly now. “But I don’t intend to let you ride over me. Now, when I say something, I mean it. You’re high-spirited, and that’s fine—in bed. But in ordinary circumstances, I expect you to do what I tell you to do.”