Last War of Clent Evans

Our losses were many, I just shake my head as I look over the battle field. Little puffs of smoke scattered about and broken and battered bodies laying in array through out the battle field. Already a stench has demanded that burial start quickly.

"Come on men lets get to it"

"Haw, Serge! Can’t we get some of them darkies to do the burying."

"Every man son of them deserve to be laid to rest by one of there own kind, Soldier!. And don’t forget that"

"I was only--Haw--Forget it".

"Get the shovels and get to it".

Tired, cut to bits and in shambles that is what is left of our outfit, Most all the Officers are dead, But we still can fight on. The only draw back is that we fight with the Yankee’s equipment that we can get from the battle field. Our supplies have long sense been cut off from Petersburg. Besides, One more battle and it will be the end of the Georgia Volunteers.

There will be plenty women weeping in Georgia in the coming days. God help us when the war is over, all them damn Yankees will be all over the place.

"Here Serge look at this!"

It was a metal with the name of Jess Kincade printed on the back.

"It’s a metal for Gallantry Serge!".

"That’s a mite familiar name. Where did I hear that name before?"

"Why Private, that there is the man that saved the Regimental Colors from the Yankee’s".

"The Yankees should of killed him then and he would not be blown to pieces like this, Hardly enough to make out what he is".

"A Cannon ball sure can make a mess out of a body."

"Josey!, Put that name on the marker and get him in the ground, there are still a lot more to put in the ground before the day is over."

I thought as I looked at the remains, "Here you lay Jesse my boy, twenty two years of living and a second to die. So much for the metal for Gallantry. I wonder if it was worth it. Was worth it you say? Any time a man fights for what he believes in, It was worth it, To give his life for his idea’s, It was worth it. This man died for what he believed in. God bless him.

I can remember back when this ruckus started I did not have any idea that War was going to be like this. I liked the idea of Hooping and Yelling, shooting off guns, parading around town in my uniform, chasing women and telling lies on the great battles we were in, How big Hero’s we were. When it came to the real thing it wasn’t so nice to be in uniform. I did not like the killing. I didn’t really know what I was fighting for. Them Yankees hadn’t done nothing to me. But it was too late now I am in and I can’t get out. I was proud as a peacock the day that they gave me this Gray uniform. Now I can hardly recognize that it is a uniform, there is so little of it left. I guess that it is good that the War is over, Not that there is not more fight in us Rebs, there is. It is just that we have nothing more to fight with except what we capture from the Yankees.

I hear that the General is talking to the Yankees about surrender, So may be the War will be over soon.

"Dig Private! I want to get through with this grim reaper duty".

"Sergeant! Sergeant!".

"Yes Sir".

"Get your men formed we are moving out, The Yankee are trying to out flank us! Move Sergeant move!".

We grabbed our guns and ran as fast as we could go. We ran into the Yankees as they were trying to cross a creek. We were on the bluff over looking them and we poured the fire into them. It was like a child’s game of king of the hill. We fought and we died.

It went on for hours it seemed. Each time they tried to take our position we turned them back but with great loss on both sides. By this time there must be over two hundred dead on the battle field. I look around and I could see that there was very little of us left. One more charge and that will be it. I watch the Yankees across the creek. There are more then a five hundred of them and they were getting ready to attack again. This time we will not be able to stop them, This will be the end, God help us.

There is some thing wrong over on the Yankee side they were not attacking. They sent a runner to us under white flag.

"What do they think, that we are going to surrender."

"Ha!"

Our Captain, wounded himself, rode out to meet the flag barrier. The men spoke for a few minutes, then I saw the Captain lower his head and tried to pass his sword over to the soldier, The soldier refused it. The Captain slowly turned around and rode back to our lines.

The news went down the line like wild fire. The war was over as of noon yesterday. The Yankees had just received word from their commander.

"O! My God! All these men died for nothing."

There was no yelling just silence in our ranks, only the clank and tinkle of equipment being dropped to the ground as the men were shedding themselves of the tools of war.

They slowly walked away with their heads held high for they knew that they gave their all and that is all that they had to give. There was no signs of glory just self satisfaction that no one called them cowards. They fought and they died for what they believed in.

The Yankees came over and gave us the terms of the surrender as General Grant had agreed to. We were to pledge allegiance to the Yankee Government and that we were allowed to keep our pistols and a horse. With that over I was no longer a soldier and I was on my way home. Funny, I haven’t thought about home in a long time.