Love Lost and Regained

Love Lost and Regained During the Great War
Jessica Marie

         “But you cannot go!” She pleaded with her husband. It was 1864, and she did not want to see her husband go off and fight in what seemed to be the never ending Civil War.

         “Lorena, honey, I have to. I was not going to join, but General Hood needs help. He lost a lot of soldiers in the battle of Atlanta,” replied the husband.

         “Darrell, I do not want to see you get hurt.”

         “I will not get hurt. I love Dixie and I will fight in her honor!”

         Lorena did not have the chance for a rebuttal; Darrell kissed her goodbye and walked out the door. He walked to the train station and was being sent to Virginia for the next battle.

         Lorena closed the door, sighed and walked into the small kitchen. She decided to make herself a cup of peach tea. She walked out the wooden door to the huge backyard where there was a well. She lowered the bucket into the well for some water. Peach tea always took her mind off of everything; it was her little escape from reality. When the bucket came back up to her, she went inside and placed the water in the teapot. She had the last of Mama’s famous tea, but she was going to walk to her house to tell her about Darrell being drafted into the infantry. She strained the last of the peach for the tea and sat down and thought about what she was going to tell Mama.

         She decided to tell Mama everything that happened to her today and they should all pray for Darrell’s safe return. There was only a little drop left in the teacup, so she pushed in the chair, walked past the living room with the photos of herself and Darrell together, her baby photos of her and family portraits; out the front door. She tied the bonnet around her bun and headed down the cobblestone sidewalk.

         She knocked on Mama’s front door.

         “Lorena! What brings you here on this fine day?” Mama replied with her heavily Southern accented voice.

         “Darrell was drafted into the infantry. There were a lot of casualties in the last battle and they needed help,” Lorena replied with the same accent.

         “Oh, Lorena, come in.”

         She walked in and made herself at home. She sat on the nice white couch in front of the fireplace. This was usually the location where Mama held her sewing get-togethers. Mama noticed her daughter was in a daze, so she went into the kitchen to make her some biscuits and iced tea. Mama returned twenty minutes later and she noticed the same look on Lorena’s face.

         “Lorena, you are welcomed to stay with me until Darrell gets home. I know you are lonely.”

         “I suppose, Mama. If it is not a bother to you.”

         “Bother? I took care of you for eighteen years. It is no bother.”

         Lorena ate the biscuits and drank her iced tea. Once she was finished she ran home to get her trunk full of clothing. She left a note on her door just in case if anyone was looking for her, that told where she was and the address. She returned to Mama’s plantation in an hour and they picked cotton, cooked, cleaned and cleaned.

         Being busy kept Lorena’s mind off of Darrell, until one cloudy day in early September. It had been two months since Darrell left, and he wrote her a letter every three weeks and was fine.

         “Just a minute!” Lorena shouted at the door.

         Lorena opened the door and standing outside was a soldier in a gray uniform. She knew it was a Confederate soldier and this could not be good.

         “Mrs. Jacobson?” He asked her.

         “Yes, I am Mrs. Jacobson. What seems to be the problem, sir?” She replied.

         “Ma’am, I hate to tell you this, but we believe Darrell was killed in Berryville, Virginia on September third. We are sorry to have to inform you about this. Take care.”

         Lorena could not believe it; she closed her eyes and began to sob. She closed the door and sat on the couch. Mama walked into the living room and saw her daughter crying.

         “Who was at the door? Did they bother you?”

         “Stupid Yankees killed Darrell! It was a soldier informing me Darrell was lost during the last battle!” She screamed out against the tears.

         Mama hugged her and tried to console her, but it did not work. Lorena went up to her room and slammed the door. She did not want to live anymore; she wanted to be with Darrell. She took a piece of rope from the horses’ stall, tied it on the bar in the closet and put the noose around her neck. She was just about to kick the chair out of the way, but mama walked in.

         “Lorena!” She screamed.

         She got the noose away from her neck, but it left some lacerations and bruises. Mama called the family doctor. When the doctor checked her out, he told Mama privately that Lorena should be checked into an asylum. Mama checked Lorena into the asylum, until after the war.

         April 1865, started off warm and cheery. General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, the war was finally over. Mama promised to bring Lorena home after the war, and kept to her word. Lorena was not as dazed and suicidal as before, but she still missed her Darrell.

         On the morning of April fifth, Lorena tended to her garden not knowing Darrell was alive and well and coming from Virginia.

         “Look it, its Johnny Reb!” shouted one of Darrell’s friends in shock when they saw Darrel on the train.

         Darrell limped off the train. He was shot in the leg, during the battle of Berryville, and shrapnel was still embedded into his leg.

         “Why do you look so shocked?” asked Darrell.

         “Everyone thought you were dead,” the friend replied.

         Darrell tried to run to his house, but could not since he limped. The friend offered him a ride on his carriage. When he got to the house, he saw the note about where Lorena was. He told his friend to take him to Lorena’s mama’s house.

         When he arrived at Mama’s house, he knocked at the door. Mama answered and was surprised to see him.

         “Lorena! I have a surprise for you!” shouted Mama.

         Lorena ran down the stairs, and when she saw him, she smiled and ran even faster to hug him.

         “I thought you were dead! This soldier came to the house and told me so” she said.

         “No, I was near death, but this Yankee nurse saved me. She said it was rare to save a Johnny Reb, but she could not let me die. She took great care of me. She reminded me of you, which made me very homesick,” he replied.

         Lorena did not say much; she just hugged and kissed him. She was so happy to have Darrell back.

         “So, tell me about how you have been for the past year.” Darrell asked.

         “Well, after you left, I came to Mama’s and I even spent some time in the asylum in town.”