Read Online Gallant Boys of Gettysburg by Gilbert L. Morris - Free Book Online
Authors: Gilbert L. Morris
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home, and if they ever get their full strength up and get us flanked, it’d be bad. You boys watch out for yourselves.” He strolled off into the night.
It was perhaps thirty minutes later that Pete Simmons came out of the darkness and sat down beside Tom. He said nothing, which was unusual, for usually he was very talkative.
“It was pretty rough today, wasn’t it, Pete?” Tom remarked.
Pete did not answer for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Something happened to me today.”
Tom stared at him. “What was it?” he asked curiously. He knew that Pete had been in some of the heaviest fighting and that at one point had beenin front of the whole Confederate force charging ahead.
“While the battle was on,” Pete said slowly, his brow wrinkled and an odd look on his face, “I didn’t think about anything. Seems like a fellow kinda loses his mind. Shells are going off, and men are dropping, and all you can do is run and shoot as fast as you can. Well, as long as that was going on, I didn’t have no trouble. But afterwards—”
Tom waited for him to continue, then asked gently, “What happened, Pete? You didn’t get hit, did you?”
“No, I didn’t get hit by no bullet—but after all the fighting was over, just about an hour ago, something come to me—just come into my mind. Never had anything like that happen before.”
Jeff and Tom exchanged glances, and Jeff asked, “Well, what was it, Pete?”
Pete Simmons bowed his head so that his eyes were hidden. His throat constricted as he swallowed, and finally the tall, lanky young man raised his head and said haltingly, “I got the idea that I’m gonna be killed in this here battle.”
“Why, lots of us feel like that, Pete. It can happen to anybody,” Tom protested.
“No, it’s not like that. I’ve always known I
could
be killed. But this time it was almost like a voice spoke—inside me, sort of.”
“What did the voice say?” Tom asked.
“Well, it was just like something said, ‘You’ll be dead and in a grave before this battle is over.’ ” Pete swallowed hard again and ran his fingers through his reddish hair. “I—I ain’t never been scared of nothing. Always figured I could take care of myself—but somehow this is different.” He looked outalmost fearfully into the darkness. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow—but that keeps going through my head over and over again. ‘You’re gonna be dead before this battle is over.’ I—I don’t mind tellin’ you it’s got me shook up some.”
Tom had been irritated with Pete Simmons and his blustering ways many times, but now all that left him. He had been in many battles and had seen many men show fear. He had even seen a man fight bravely in one battle, then turn tail and run in the next one, which was actually no worse. There was no explaining the way men would behave under fire.
He knew Pete Simmons to be a young man full of raw courage, for he had seen him demonstrate it all day long. Now, however, he saw that Pete’s hands were trembling and that something dreadful was happening inside. Seriously he said, “Well, Pete, I hope that your feeling is wrong.”
“I hope so too, but I don’t mind tellin’ you, I’m downright scared.”
Jeff spoke up then. “I’m scared too, and I’m not even in the regular army. But it can happen to any of us, Pete. Even drummer boys get killed.”
“Reckon that’s so—but it never bothered me before.”
Tom said cautiously, “I know you don’t like to hear anything about your soul, Pete, or about God, but it might be well if we talked of it a little bit.” He waited for Simmons to grow angry as he always did and refuse.
Instead the young soldier ducked his head and grew still. He said nothing, and Tom took that as permission to go ahead.
“The Bible says, ‘It is appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment.’ All of us know that, I guess.” Tom went on softly. “We know
It was perhaps thirty minutes later that Pete Simmons came out of the darkness and sat down beside Tom. He said nothing, which was unusual, for usually he was very talkative.
“It was pretty rough today, wasn’t it, Pete?” Tom remarked.
Pete did not answer for a moment. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Something happened to me today.”
Tom stared at him. “What was it?” he asked curiously. He knew that Pete had been in some of the heaviest fighting and that at one point had beenin front of the whole Confederate force charging ahead.
“While the battle was on,” Pete said slowly, his brow wrinkled and an odd look on his face, “I didn’t think about anything. Seems like a fellow kinda loses his mind. Shells are going off, and men are dropping, and all you can do is run and shoot as fast as you can. Well, as long as that was going on, I didn’t have no trouble. But afterwards—”
Tom waited for him to continue, then asked gently, “What happened, Pete? You didn’t get hit, did you?”
“No, I didn’t get hit by no bullet—but after all the fighting was over, just about an hour ago, something come to me—just come into my mind. Never had anything like that happen before.”
Jeff and Tom exchanged glances, and Jeff asked, “Well, what was it, Pete?”
Pete Simmons bowed his head so that his eyes were hidden. His throat constricted as he swallowed, and finally the tall, lanky young man raised his head and said haltingly, “I got the idea that I’m gonna be killed in this here battle.”
“Why, lots of us feel like that, Pete. It can happen to anybody,” Tom protested.
“No, it’s not like that. I’ve always known I
could
be killed. But this time it was almost like a voice spoke—inside me, sort of.”
“What did the voice say?” Tom asked.
“Well, it was just like something said, ‘You’ll be dead and in a grave before this battle is over.’ ” Pete swallowed hard again and ran his fingers through his reddish hair. “I—I ain’t never been scared of nothing. Always figured I could take care of myself—but somehow this is different.” He looked outalmost fearfully into the darkness. “I don’t know what’s gonna happen tomorrow—but that keeps going through my head over and over again. ‘You’re gonna be dead before this battle is over.’ I—I don’t mind tellin’ you it’s got me shook up some.”
Tom had been irritated with Pete Simmons and his blustering ways many times, but now all that left him. He had been in many battles and had seen many men show fear. He had even seen a man fight bravely in one battle, then turn tail and run in the next one, which was actually no worse. There was no explaining the way men would behave under fire.
He knew Pete Simmons to be a young man full of raw courage, for he had seen him demonstrate it all day long. Now, however, he saw that Pete’s hands were trembling and that something dreadful was happening inside. Seriously he said, “Well, Pete, I hope that your feeling is wrong.”
“I hope so too, but I don’t mind tellin’ you, I’m downright scared.”
Jeff spoke up then. “I’m scared too, and I’m not even in the regular army. But it can happen to any of us, Pete. Even drummer boys get killed.”
“Reckon that’s so—but it never bothered me before.”
Tom said cautiously, “I know you don’t like to hear anything about your soul, Pete, or about God, but it might be well if we talked of it a little bit.” He waited for Simmons to grow angry as he always did and refuse.
Instead the young soldier ducked his head and grew still. He said nothing, and Tom took that as permission to go ahead.
“The Bible says, ‘It is appointed unto man once to die but after this the judgment.’ All of us know that, I guess.” Tom went on softly. “We know
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