Into The Mouth of The Cannon

Prologue

        Many stories have been written about great Confederate icons, such as the Wizard of the Saddle, Nathan Bedford Forest, whose exploits have captivated the imaginations of many readers.  This story is about a family in Saline County, Arkansas, and the hardships they endured during the Civil War.  Four members of this family joined the 18th Arkansas Infantry:  two sons served as lieutenants in the Confederate army, and two brothers-in-law served, one as a sergeant and the other as a private.  The story follows Company H, Saline County Rangers and other units on their trek from Fort Pillow, Tennessee, to the siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana.

       The story also centers on the junior officers of the 18th and the average Confederate non-com, whose face was browned by constant exposure to the elements, and often unshaven.  His face was marked with sweat and dust.  Dark stains of powder covered his face, which testified to the many battles in which he had fought.  His hair was unkempt, matted with dirt and crowned by a weather-beaten old wool hat.

       Crossing his back from his left shoulder hung his prize companion that he would not part with under any circumstances.  The blanket role that dropped down to his right side contained one of his most prized possessions.  Within its contents was an extra shirt.  The bedroll on his back comforted him; he knew that in the warmth of this blanket, as he slept at night, he would have some protection from the unforgiving elements of rain and cold.

       On his back was a greasy haversack, and attached to it was a flannel-covered canteen, which he borrowed from a dead Union soldier.  He had learned that a dead Yankee could be one of his best friends, and to prove it he carried a United States Army Enfield rifle, which was supplied by the unresisting dead.  His trousers were of different shades of blue and usually of the latest military issue, compliments of the Union army.

       Johnny Reb was not concerned that his military dress was not the most up-to-date, but he was proud to know that he was distinguished from his enemy by a faded gray jacket that had been stained by the blood of his enemy ... and his fallen comrades.