Fossy
SEXPIOGENTUS
Chapter 5 – White Orchard Plantation, Around Midday, May 11th 1864
“Uncle Billy?” Catherine looked up from her seat on the edge of her bed from where she had been staring out of the window and over the fields.
Sherman closed the doors quietly behind his entry and moved towards where his Goddaughter sat.
“Catherine, everything will be fine, trust me, but …”
It was upon hearing that word that the girl’s eyes widened and a little fear seemed to infuse her demeanour.
“… ‘but’, Uncle Billy?”
The General nodded. “I have an army to feed. White Orchard is the last major source of food and supplies before we reach Resaca where we will no doubt …”
He stopped himself from unwittingly revealing any aspect of his campaign to the beguiling girl.
“I cannot make a total exception Catherine …”
Her face dropped and a mix of fear and anger immediately manifested upon her expression.
“… My army needs to eat and to do so it simply must forage from the land. It is the way I have ordered it to be. And so, my dear, dear girl, I must let my men do as they have been ordered. But …”
This time the ‘but’ was designed to be conciliatory, however by the time the General had confirmed his intention to break from normal practice and issue a receipt for everything that they took, against which she could personally claim directly via him at some future date, Catherine had stopped listening.
She had already leapt up from the bed and was out through the door before Sherman could do anything to stop her. With a huge sigh the general turned and followed her out, and within a matter of a short few seconds he could hear the commotion.
“Let her go private,” he issued the order with a quiet calmness designed to diffuse the situation.
Private Dolan held Catherine in a tight grip from behind, his hands brushing the underside of her ample breasts.
“But General she is a wild one for sure.”
“Let her go … please.” Sherman was still attempting to appease his Goddaughter, yet as soon as she felt her confinement released, Catherine ran to the cabinet at the side of the hallway and in short order she had a musket pointed at the soldiers, her Godfather included.
“Is that loaded Catherine?” The General asked, still using calm tones.
“Always. I never know when a malicious General and his evil army will come by now, do I?”
Her words cut Sherman to the quick. She was including him in her casting of the type.
“Please Catherine, put it down. Your father …”
“Don’t you dare bring my father into this Uncle Billy. He would be disgusted at what you are proposing to do …”
Speaking as she was had clearly distracted the girl’s emotional focus and in a blurred moment Lieutenant Sampson had the musket taken from her grip, and Catherine had been pushed against the wooden panelling with her arm twisted up her back.
“Get off me you brute! Owwwww … ouch! Stop!”
“There is no need for excessive force Lieutenant,” but even as Sherman spoke these words, he could see that his Goddaughter was not to be reasoned with.
“Get out!” Sampson’s attention had been diverted to the house slave who had wandered into the scene.
“Please Mary, just leave us. I’ll be fine.” Catherine added a more kindly tone to the words just spoken.
“Yessum, if Mistress Catherine is sure, but …”
“Leave us, please Mary,” The General’s words carried sufficient by way of gravitas and so Mary turned to leave. But the momentary distraction had given Catherine the respite to drag her lithe body free of the officer’s grip and she once again made a grab for the Musket.
“Catherine, stop this at once!” The General’s patience was wearing thin with his Goddaughter. “My men and I have a job to do, and we will do it with all consideration towards your well-being, but do it we must. Lieutenant take Miss McCown back to her bedchamber, deposit her inside and have your guard re-established at her door.”
Catherine’s face was a picture of anger and confusion.
Sampson smiled and nodded his agreement. “To confine her is the right decision General, but I must declare that there is mighty fine, but also mighty considerable, foraging work to be done hereabouts. And with us only being eight men, including myself and Sergeant Oak, having two of them occupied by standing guard outside a young girl’s room, is … shall we say, not necessarily best use of their deployment.”
Sherman shook his head and sighed. With a heavy heart and great reluctance, he addressed his junior officer.
“It pains me greatly to believe you are correct Lieutenant. Take her upstairs to her chambers and secure her to the bed. Tie her wrists, but not over tightly, and then leave her. Do not molest her in any way, do you hear me?”
“Yes Sir. Loud and clear General. Private Dolan, come with me.”
“No … no, Uncle Billy you cannot do this to me, I won’t let you. Please …”
Sherman turned away. He couldn’t bear to watch his Goddaughter being treated like this … but he had an army to feed and discipline to maintain.
As Sampson ordered her upstairs, he could not ignore the feelings that were now being discharged from inside his stomach. ‘Tie her to the bed’ was the order he had been given … The Lieutenant would make sure that it was the most literal execution of a directive that he had ever undertaken!
To Be Continued ...
Footnote - Today's picture shows Catherine looking angry as she is ordered back upstairs to her room. As mentioned in yesterday's footnote, Bummers were by definition disreputable types, who, in many ways operated outside the discipline laws of the Army. So it is with criminal glee that Sampson and his men set about their new task to confine Sherman's Goddaughter to her bed.
“Uncle Billy?” Catherine looked up from her seat on the edge of her bed from where she had been staring out of the window and over the fields.
Sherman closed the doors quietly behind his entry and moved towards where his Goddaughter sat.
“Catherine, everything will be fine, trust me, but …”
It was upon hearing that word that the girl’s eyes widened and a little fear seemed to infuse her demeanour.
“… ‘but’, Uncle Billy?”
The General nodded. “I have an army to feed. White Orchard is the last major source of food and supplies before we reach Resaca where we will no doubt …”
He stopped himself from unwittingly revealing any aspect of his campaign to the beguiling girl.
“I cannot make a total exception Catherine …”
Her face dropped and a mix of fear and anger immediately manifested upon her expression.
“… My army needs to eat and to do so it simply must forage from the land. It is the way I have ordered it to be. And so, my dear, dear girl, I must let my men do as they have been ordered. But …”
This time the ‘but’ was designed to be conciliatory, however by the time the General had confirmed his intention to break from normal practice and issue a receipt for everything that they took, against which she could personally claim directly via him at some future date, Catherine had stopped listening.
She had already leapt up from the bed and was out through the door before Sherman could do anything to stop her. With a huge sigh the general turned and followed her out, and within a matter of a short few seconds he could hear the commotion.
“Let her go private,” he issued the order with a quiet calmness designed to diffuse the situation.
Private Dolan held Catherine in a tight grip from behind, his hands brushing the underside of her ample breasts.
“But General she is a wild one for sure.”
“Let her go … please.” Sherman was still attempting to appease his Goddaughter, yet as soon as she felt her confinement released, Catherine ran to the cabinet at the side of the hallway and in short order she had a musket pointed at the soldiers, her Godfather included.
“Is that loaded Catherine?” The General asked, still using calm tones.
“Always. I never know when a malicious General and his evil army will come by now, do I?”
Her words cut Sherman to the quick. She was including him in her casting of the type.
“Please Catherine, put it down. Your father …”
“Don’t you dare bring my father into this Uncle Billy. He would be disgusted at what you are proposing to do …”
Speaking as she was had clearly distracted the girl’s emotional focus and in a blurred moment Lieutenant Sampson had the musket taken from her grip, and Catherine had been pushed against the wooden panelling with her arm twisted up her back.
“Get off me you brute! Owwwww … ouch! Stop!”
“There is no need for excessive force Lieutenant,” but even as Sherman spoke these words, he could see that his Goddaughter was not to be reasoned with.
“Get out!” Sampson’s attention had been diverted to the house slave who had wandered into the scene.
“Please Mary, just leave us. I’ll be fine.” Catherine added a more kindly tone to the words just spoken.
“Yessum, if Mistress Catherine is sure, but …”
“Leave us, please Mary,” The General’s words carried sufficient by way of gravitas and so Mary turned to leave. But the momentary distraction had given Catherine the respite to drag her lithe body free of the officer’s grip and she once again made a grab for the Musket.
“Catherine, stop this at once!” The General’s patience was wearing thin with his Goddaughter. “My men and I have a job to do, and we will do it with all consideration towards your well-being, but do it we must. Lieutenant take Miss McCown back to her bedchamber, deposit her inside and have your guard re-established at her door.”
Catherine’s face was a picture of anger and confusion.
Sampson smiled and nodded his agreement. “To confine her is the right decision General, but I must declare that there is mighty fine, but also mighty considerable, foraging work to be done hereabouts. And with us only being eight men, including myself and Sergeant Oak, having two of them occupied by standing guard outside a young girl’s room, is … shall we say, not necessarily best use of their deployment.”
Sherman shook his head and sighed. With a heavy heart and great reluctance, he addressed his junior officer.
“It pains me greatly to believe you are correct Lieutenant. Take her upstairs to her chambers and secure her to the bed. Tie her wrists, but not over tightly, and then leave her. Do not molest her in any way, do you hear me?”
“Yes Sir. Loud and clear General. Private Dolan, come with me.”
“No … no, Uncle Billy you cannot do this to me, I won’t let you. Please …”
Sherman turned away. He couldn’t bear to watch his Goddaughter being treated like this … but he had an army to feed and discipline to maintain.
As Sampson ordered her upstairs, he could not ignore the feelings that were now being discharged from inside his stomach. ‘Tie her to the bed’ was the order he had been given … The Lieutenant would make sure that it was the most literal execution of a directive that he had ever undertaken!
To Be Continued ...
Footnote - Today's picture shows Catherine looking angry as she is ordered back upstairs to her room. As mentioned in yesterday's footnote, Bummers were by definition disreputable types, who, in many ways operated outside the discipline laws of the Army. So it is with criminal glee that Sampson and his men set about their new task to confine Sherman's Goddaughter to her bed.
