The war had ended ...

Walking down the road, he straddled his steps, while pacing up and down. The road before him was a long one, dusty with debris and dust that gathered in piles along the way. He was a long way from home. His home was in New Orleans, Louisiana. He had seen much devastation during the Civil War. Now the war was over and he was headed home. He had missed his wife and young son for well over a year now. How he longed to hug his lovely Sarah and hold his son. He had no idea what he would find when he reached home. His family could be gone and his home destroyed by General Grant's army.

Benjamin was originally born in Northern Virginia on October 19, 1842. Born in an old log cabin, there were no conveniences of hospital maternity wards. Most people were born at home, unless extremely wealthy. Benjamin was born at 6 p.m. His father was at his wife's side. A mid-wife assisted the delivery as the family doctor was out on another call at the time. Benjamin came into the world a squealer, according to his father, and eyes wide opened. He wanted his presence known to all. He was a healthy bouncing boy with very healthy lungs.

His family was split on sides fought during the war. There was already a bitter dispute and conflict on family tides. His two older brothers and youngest uncle lived in West Virginia. His brothers fought in the Union. He joined his other two brothers and fought in the Confederacy. Benjamin was the sixth child of ten born in his family. He had three sisters and five brothers living-William was the oldest, Amelia, Samuel, Carl, Evelyn, Benjamin, Thomas, Betty and Lucas, whom they called Luke. His youngest brother, Luther, died at six months of age.

His mother, Hannah, died in childbirth when Luther was born on January 6, 1851. She had miscarried several babies in-between the oldest and Luther. Benjamin's father, Jacob, had a hard time caring for a young baby. He relied on Amelia, who was 14 years old at the time, to care for Luther. In the summer of 1851, Luther fell ill. William, nearly 16, rode on horseback to town to fetch the town doctor, Dr. Frederick Smith. It was quicker than the horse carriage. The doctor came by horse buggy. In those days, there was no emergency or urgent care services provided.

The doctor looked at the young baby in his cradle. He took his temperature. He was burning up with fever and constantly crying. Amelia was getting wet rags to place on his forehead. She gently rubbed his forehead in hopes of cooling him down. After a few minutes, the doctor looked up at Jacob. They walked outside as Amelia stayed with Luther.

"Is it bad, doctor?" Jacob asked.

"It doesn't look good. He's soaking wet from fever," Dr. Smith answered.

"Is it that high?" Jacob asked.

"Pretty high. It registered at 103.6 just now," the doctor answered.

"What is it?" Jacob asked.

"Colic. It is common among children his age. I have seen children be perfectly fine one day and be mighty sick in fever the next day. I have a bottle of medicine. Give him one dropper full every 4 to 6 hours until you see him improve. Keep the cold wet rags on him, especially on his forehead, to reduce his fever as well," the doctor said.

"Then what?" Jacob asked, scratching his head.

"We will see how he does. He should be better in a few days. If not, than send the boy again to fetch me," Dr. Smith said.

"Okay, doc. Thank you," Jacob said.

Amelia and her father spent nights placing cold rags on little Luther to lower his fever. Luther seemed to be progressing within a short time. By the end of the week, he was sitting up and giggling with his siblings. He would clap his hands together as his brothers and sisters would sing happy songs to him. After nearly two weeks, he seemed to be much better. Then one night Amelia went to his cradle to check on him. He was feverish and shivering all through his body. Luther had trouble breathing and his face was a bluish tint. William went to town to fetch the doctor again to the cabin. Luther was unresponsive and seemed like he was in a deep sleep. The doctor stayed with him overnight. By 6 a.m., the doctor pronounced him dead.

As he brought the small bundle covered by a thin blanket, Amelia stood there speechless. Her father stood there with tears in his eyes. All the siblings looked at each other, not saying a word. If his mother had been alive, Luther would still be here, Benjamin thought to himself. She knew how to care for sick babies. She had nine healthy children to prove it.

The following morning, the family buried little Luther next to his mother, Hannah's gravesite. The tiny casket was covered with dirt and the family was silent as the preacher spoke. There was a big turn out for Luther's funeral. Several families with children at varied ages attended. Given the size of the town, it was a good portion of the town's population that stood by the small gravesite that day.

Jacob was motionless as he watched his tiny son's body being lowered in the ground. He was not a churchgoer, but appreciated that many church members were there. After some words spoken by the preacher, it was over. Benjamin stood there beside his siblings, tears screaming down his cheeks. He remembered his baby brother's giggles and goo-goos as he smiled. Benjamin would hold him in his lap and play patty-cake with him. Luther loved it and would giggle out loud. Now, Luther was gone. Only the memory of his sweet smiles and his happy laughs remained. He was a happy baby for all it was worth. Benjamin knew his father did the best he could in being a single father now, in raising ten (now nine) children alone and bringing food to the table.

Children grew up fast then. Everyone had a role in the family, except the two youngest children. The two older children were taken out of school to work on the farm, while Samuel, Carl, Evelyn, Benjamin and Thomas attended school during the day. When one family member was too ill to work, another would intervene in his/her place. William helped his father with the farmland, bailing hay and planting crops, while Amelia helped with the housework and cooking. Amelia also helped take care of the younger siblings. Such a big responsibility put on a young girl still. Evelyn (age 10) helped her with cleaning and sweeping. Samuel (12) did some chores around the farm. He could milk the cows in the barn and feed the animals, horses and pigs. He also swept the stables in the barn. Carl (11) did odd chores, bringing water from the well and buckets of milk to the house. Carl and Benjamin (9) ran errands to the grocery store, getting supplies as needed. Thomas (7) gathered the eggs from the chickens in their coups. Betty (5) and Luke (3) were still too little to work.

Benjamin looked down the path of dirt as he shifted from side to side. He was battling with a war injury in his knee. It was hard to walk as he looked down on the ground. He didn't know how long it would be when he couldn't go anymore. He didn't think his leg could take much more. He had to stop and rest somewhere, but where? There was nothing but a dismal open field that seemed to continue for miles. There was no one in sight and no place to stop and rest awhile. He had been on the road for at least a month, heading homeward to his native land.

It seemed like an eternity, when Benjamin spotted a big oak tree nearby. It was untouched by gunfire and the brutalities of war. Benjamin sat down in a shaded place under the tree. Just then, he heard the sound of a wagon coming toward his direction. He looked up to see a wagon coming his way on the road. In it were six people-two men, two women and two children. They wore tethered clothing and the children were barefooted. But they weren't in a hurry. They were traveling along the road in a slow, easy pace. They were freed slaves. The war had ended and with it, the freedom of all slavery. It was the spring of 1865. The Civil War officially ended on May 9. The South had been defeated by the North. General Lee had surrendered as Union troops had surrounded Confederate divisions.

Benjamin knew one thing. He was tired of fighting. He wanted to get home. He missed his family. It seemed like ages since he last saw his wife and child. He had lost sight of time on the way home. His brothers and uncle Robert in West Virginia should be celebrating their victory by now, as well as the whole family. He sat against the tree trunk and started to dream. The heat of the midday sun was to his back, however, his mind started to shift. He couldn't stay awake as he had come a long way. His mind began to wonder. Before long, he was going back in time, reminisces of how he got to this stage in his life. His head was getting heavy as his eyelids closed. He laid his head against the tree.

Several wagons full of freed slaves rode by in sequence as Benjamin laid his head against the old tree. He was in another world, not conscious to anything in sight. The grass was green with a cool drift of wind softly settling among the homeland. It was early June and it seemed as summer had already arrived. The flowers were growing in the field below the old oak tree with daylilies. The grass was high, almost to waist level. This reminded Benjamin of his younger days as he periodically played in the fields. He ventured into the open fields beyond the old homestead. Sometimes, Carl and Thomas would join him. They would catch butterflies in the spring and put in clear glass jars with an opening on the top for air. A small river flowed gently by the open field, with a subtle flowing of water as if drifting towards its destination, a wider channel of water.

As Benjamin drifted off to sleep, he thought he heard loud noises in the background.

His mind was wondering. The war was over with. Why was he remembering things about the war that he quickly wanted to forget? The Union had won and with it, the abolishment of slavery. It was estimated that there were now 3.5 million slaves that existed in the country. The South's succession meant the destruction of wealth for the South. Slavery was over with and with it, a whole new change in the South. The economy would be severely crippled as the Union had destroyed literally everything in its path. The Union soldiers had taken over and stolen food, supplies and valuables from homeowners in the Southern states. Plantations were either burned or destroyed by Union soldiers marching through the country. Nothing much was left of the beautiful mansions that existed before the Civil War.

Slowly, Benjamin was in a deep sleep. He had traveled for what seemed like miles that day. He was tired and hungry. He had a very little supply of food left and his left knee was bothering him. He tried to straighten it out on the ground. Still, where the bullet had barely missed him as he fought in battle, the knee was aching. The knee would need medical attention when he got home. He could still walk on it, but each step seemed painful now.

The day of recognition came in May when General Lee had surrendered the Confederacy. The abolition of slavery was made that day and the Confederate soldiers humbly went home to their families and homes. Benjamin had to travel by foot most of the way home. Sometimes, he could hitch a ride on a passing wagon going by. He needed to stop and rest awhile. Sometimes, he traveled at night because it was cooler. The nights and days seem to coincide with each other. He couldn't tell the time of day anymore. His mind was still full of war reminisces and glimpses of the past.

As Benjamin dreamed ...

The time was back in September 1859. Benjamin was a young man approaching 17 next month. He had heard of war starting between the states. So far, that was only rumored. His father, brothers and sisters had moved to Louisiana five summers before in June 1854. William and Samuel had stayed in Northern Virginia with their uncle Robert, Jacob's youngest brother. Jacob had relocated and married his second wife in 1855, a much younger woman named Ruby. The couple had a young daughter, called Lauren (Laurie).

Benjamin had not seen his older brothers since then. During the war, he married a lovely girl from the area and conceived a son shortly afterwards. His son was a young infant when he signed up for the Confederate army regimen. Carl had already signed up and Thomas followed him. Carl and Benjamin seem to be the closest, although he talked to Samuel frequently growing up. Luke, the youngest son was still a young boy. He was only eleven at the time. Jacob refused for Luke to sign up for the Confederate army ever, even as a teenager.

Benjamin's younger siblings were back in school and did chores at home after their schooling. The two youngest siblings, Betty and Luke, were old enough to work at home now. Jacob ran the farm, with his second wife at hand. She took care of the household chores and the baby. She managed the household with the help of the older siblings.

By then, Amelia had married her childhood sweetheart, Charles Schmidt, at 18 years of age. Charles was from a German lineage. Amelia had one baby and another one on the way. She and her husband lived in Baton Rouge, 80 miles outside town. Evelyn had a boyfriend, Henry Carson, but was not so eager to wed so soon. Henry was from a Scottish clan (Macpherson).

Evelyn stayed in school to 15 years of age. She was an advanced student. She was interested in science and math, unlike well-bred Southern girls of her age. Evelyn was the liberal of the family. She believed in equal opportunities and rights for women. She would be the first one to start voting rights for women if she could. She was working as an assistant for the teacher in town. She hoped to get her teaching certificate to teach school. She also enjoyed reading, writing and English grammar.

Evelyn had thought about becoming a nurse when she left school, but due to her father's meager earnings, she doubted that she would ever enter college. She had saved a little bit of money over time as she had an allowance for doing chores around the house. She even wanted to work part-time to raise some money, but that was soon put to rest by her father. Southern girls simply didn't work. They were reared to be housewives, mothers and to stay at home with the children.

To Evelyn, the dream of studying medicine seemed to fade over time. Henry was patient. After all, they had known each other for five years. He was interested in Evelyn. It was apparent to everyone. Evelyn just wasn't sure of settling down just yet.

Jacob did not own any slaves, but had one older woman he borrowed from a neighboring plantation. Her name was Mattie. She was like a grandmother, who helped Ruby with the housework and attended to the baby. She helped the children in the household with chores. She cooked and cleaned as well. Every spring she would go back to her owner, but she helped out as long as she was needed there.

Benjamin first met Sarah when he was milking the cow one day in the barn. Millie was a family cow who had just calved that fall. Back then, children usually attended school until puberty. Benjamin was 12 years old when he finally realized he wasn't made for full-time studying. He finished the year up and fell into helping his father and brothers with the farm. Farming was done with oxen and a mule-driven device used to plow the earth with. Jacob and his sons planted carrots, cabbage, corn, Irish potatoes, wheat and barley for the most part. He also had a field full of cotton. Jacob owned several acres which seemed to stretch for miles, according to Benjamin.

Benjamin was just finishing milking the cow, when suddenly he was startled. Someone had come into the barn and was looking around. When she ran her eyes around the barn, she became focused on one of the stalls in the barn. To the right inside the barn were two stalls used for milking the cow and the other where young pigs were stored in wintertime. All together, Jacob owned one cow, two oxen, one mule, chicken and pigs. He also owned a pair of horses, who drove the wagon for supplies. There was a hen pen for laying eggs and one rooster. There was a pig pen outside the barn that displayed at least a half-dozen adult pigs, plus three or four hogs. They would slaughter a hog once in a while and store in the cooler to keep its meat fresh. They slaughtered chicken too for meat. Benjamin hated to do it as he always had to clean them up for dinnertime.

The horses, mule and oxen were stored in the barn during winter months as well. Alongside the barn, was a small corral where the horses were free to roam in warm weather.