The 102nd Virginia Ch. 03

(This series is only loosely based on facts surrounding the Gettysburg campaign of 1863. None of the major characters are intended to represent any real persons.)

July 6, 1863

Gettysburg, PA

It had been three days since twenty five year old Confederate soldier Jack Campbell had been wounded at Gettysburg. He was being taken care of by Elizabeth Wade, a woman he encountered prior to the battle, and her eighteen year old niece, Kate.

Jack had been placed in a makeshift hospital immediately after the last day of fighting, but Elizabeth had seen the familiar face and stole him away amid the hustle and bustle. She and Kate were tending to him, without the knowledge of the authorities, in Kate's family's house in the center of town.

Jack and Elizabeth's 'relationship', while less than two weeks old, was fraught with torment and lust. Each was married, but separated by great distances and time from their spouses.

They found uneasy comfort in each other.

Kate was a stunning young blonde, seemingly fearless and intent on healing the southerner under her roof. She was short and thin with a tom-boyish figure and a face to die for.

She was the first to enter Jack's room that morning.

"Good morning," she announced.

"Hi, Kate," Jack said from his bed.

"We put a gun on the table," she said calmly. "Just in case."

"I saw it. In case of what?"

Kate shrugged. "Mom says the army may still be searching for deserters, especially Rebs. Anyway, I'll protect you."

Jack smiled. She had already done more than protect him and he was grateful for her personal attention. Besides, looking at her and her Aunt Elizabeth was easier that staring at some sergeant. But he realized the Confederate army was back in Virginia by now, or close to it, while he was laying in a bed in southern Pennsylvania.

Kate checked the bandage on his shoulder and declared it 'better.' During the checkup, Jack noticed she had on another one of her simple, drab dresses that tied down the front. While it did nothing to enhance her smallish, youthful breasts, it certainly did highlight her ass and legs.

"Who's here?" Jack asked.

"Just Aunt Liz and us. My parents are trying to clean up the general store. That's where they work."

Jack nodded as he rolled out of bed.

"Where you goin'?" Kate asked in her best nurse voice.

"To eat."

"I'll bring it up. Lay down."

Jack paced around the bedroom while breakfast was made. He snuck a few peeks out the window, but made sure nobody could see him in the process. He had no desire to end up in a prison camp after the treatment he was receiving in Kate's house.

Before long, he was finishing his eggs and bacon. Kate had stayed with him the entire time to talk.

Suddenly, there was a commotion downstairs and Elizabeth's voice could be heard booming above at least one male voice.

"Get out of here!" she was yelling.

"Move away, ma'am," the man said. "We'll arrest you if we have to."

"There's nobody here, I'm telling you!"

A door slammed and a plate crashed.

"Hey!" Elizabeth shouted. "Don't you dare..."

"Johnson! Calm her down while we look around."

Kate jumped to her feet and headed for the bedroom door.

"Oh my God! Jack! Get the gun. They're coming up here. Damn!" she exclaimed.

"Kate. Get out of here. Go...," Jack was saying.

"Shhhhh!"

Kate waved her hand while looking around the edge of the door.

"Damn it. I'll have to stop them," she whispered loud enough for only Jack to hear.

The next thing he knew, she was out the door, leaving it cracked open. Jack raced towards it just in time to see the shadows of what looked like two men approaching the top of the steps. Kate stood in the hallway waiting.

"Well, lookie here," one of the Union soldiers said with glee. "There IS somebody else here. Mom was lying after all."

"Good morning, men," Kate said calmly.

"Good morning, honey. You're up awful early."

Kate smiled nervously. "Too much noise outside."

"Are you alone?" the second soldier asked.

"Yep. Just me and, uh, Mom."

The men looked at the two doors in the hallway. Kate's small bedroom was opposite the one being used by Jack and her door was wide open. When both men eyed the nearly closed door, Kate knew it was time to act.

She twirled the string holding the top of her dress together, pulling on it just enough to untie the bow. The men's eyes were now on her.

"I bet you fellas are tired of the war by now," she said mournfully. "So far from home and your women."

She pushed her hip out to one side and leaned on the wall farthest away from Jack's room. She crossed her legs at her ankles and tried to look as alluring as possible. The string was being pulled harder, opening her dress another inch.

"We could use a break, for sure," the first man said. "Ain't many girls like you in Virginia. And they wouldn't want a northerner anyways."

"I would," Kate said innocently. "I love men. Don't care where they're from."

One hand was timidly scratching her leg, causing the dress to rise at the same time. She had the men's full attention now.

"I bet you do, you pretty little thing."

The man who appeared to have seniority over the other, or was simply the more aggressive, stepped towards Kate. Under any other circumstance, she would have run or screamed or fought. This time, she stood and braced herself.

He grabbed Kate roughly by both arms and kissed her while pushing her against the wall. Kate struggled mildly, but knew it was useless. In the middle of the embrace, a woman's scream from downstairs echoed in the hallway.

Jack dared not move on the creaky wood floors. He watched and listened, realizing that both of the women he cared for and who had cared for him were paying dearly for protecting him.

The soldier's hands were all over Kate, clutching at the dress and pulling it up above her knees.

"Don't!" Kate managed to say. "Let me go!"

She attempted to slap the man and he easily blocked it. He smacked his palm against her face and Kate yelled out in pain, turning her head away while he held her. The man pushed her towards the door to her bedroom and Kate stumbled inside.

Jack's view was partially obscured by the second soldier but he saw the first one draw his sword out of its sheath and point it at Kate.

"We were going to play nice," the man said. "But if you want it rough, we can do that too."

Kate looked on in terror as the sword touched the front of her dress. It slid under the bottom of the tie strings and the soldier turned the sharp end up.

"Turn your head, darlin'."

Kate looked away, just before the sword was lifted violently, ripping the string in half. Kate gasped and reached for the tattered remains. The man dropped the sword and swatted her hands away. Then he took the divided portion of the dress, above her breasts, and viciously ripped it in two. The split went clear to Kate's waist.

Her camisole was the only thing keeping them from viewing her chest and the soldier was intent on continuing. He let the dress fall around her ankles and gave the camisole the same treatment, grabbing it from her shoulders and shredding it as he yanked it down her body.

Kate was now naked from the waist up with a pair of drawers below that. The man put both hands on her tits and squeezed them until she screamed. Then he put his mouth around one of them and sucked.

Kate was not the most well-endowed young woman in Gettysburg and it seemed to Jack, as he watched, that the man was able to put the entire tit in his mouth, or at least he tried. Kate growled in protest, only to have Elizabeth's shrieks from downstairs drown her out.

After a few seconds, the man pushed Kate towards the bed and she staggered against it, falling backwards when her feet got tangled in her clothes. Instantly, he was upon her, ripping off her drawers and shoes.

Naked now, she lay on the bed in complete surrender while the two men stared at her beauty. The man who attacked her started taking off his pants. Kate and Jack looked on in horror as he exposed his massive, swollen cock.

Jack wanted to make his move, but it was too quiet. He needed to get the gun. He scolded himself for not taking it when Kate told him too, but he had been too concerned about her. Now that decision was going to cost her.

The man took her legs and shoved them apart, partially lifting her off the bed at the same time.

"No! Please!," she screamed as he moved closer.

She felt the cock on her pussy.

"Nooooooooo!"

The thrust was brutal. It felt to Kate like he was ripping her in two, same as her dress. He pounded harder and faster each time and she saw the second man taking out his cock. It was just as big and just as hard.

"Stop! Stop! Oh please God! Noooooo!"

Jack moved away from the door while she screamed. As quickly and quietly as possible, he got to the table and took the gun. He returned to the door amid more screams from downstairs. Jack opened it just wide enough to squeeze out. He was in the hall. The man was playing with Kate's tits in the midst of her ever-increasing shouts and Jack decided to end it.

Not wanting to fire the gun and warn whoever was downstairs, he raised it high and brought it down on the back of the head of the second soldier with lethal authority. It only took a second to then reach down for the sword. The last thing the first soldier ever saw was Jack lunging at him.

Kate managed to slide away just before having the man fall flat on top of her.

"Oh my God, Jack. Thank you. Thank you!"

"You killed him in self defense, understand?" Jack told her.

Kate nodded, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Aunt Liz!"

"I know. C'mon."

Jack handed the sword to Kate and they headed for the stairs together. Half way down they saw a man standing behind Elizabeth, who was draped over the back of a chair. He was far too occupied with his own actions to worry about whether or not it was his two companions coming down the steps. He would only live a few seconds longer.

The bloody sword was tossed aside by Jack and he put his arms the trembling, naked Elizabeth.

"I'm so scared," she sobbed. "What is happening to us?"

"It's OK. It's OK," Jack assured her. "I'll have to leave here and you'll be safe again."

"But how?" Elizabeth said between sniffles. "They'll see you."

"Not if I'm under a pile of something in the back of your wagon," he replied. "We'll go to Maryland. It's only a few miles south. If I can get there we'll all be safer."

"Oh Jack. I can't...I don't want to...please don't leave me."

He ran his hand over her disheveled hair.

"I have to, Elizabeth."

He looked over at Kate who was trying to hold back her tears. "I'm going with you," she said. "They won't question two women together."

Jack looked at Elizabeth for any signs of agreement, but she would not freely give it. She clung to him even tighter.

###

July 7, 1863

Emmitsburg, MD

Frank Simmons and John Connors had heard the guns at Gettysburg, a mere ten miles to the north across the Pennsylvania/Maryland border. Despite the fact their hometown of Emmitsburg, Maryland was in a border state--technically neutral during the past two years of fighting--the residents all sympathized with one side or the other.

Frank and John were secessionists in their late thirties. They aligned with the Confederacy in philosophy, while never serving in the military. But they did clandestinely participate in raids sporadically held to disrupt communication lines or supply trains heading north to Pennsylvania, or south into Baltimore and Washington.

They were ever-wary of suspicious activity in the counties surrounding Emmitsburg. They were not opposed to using whatever devices were necessary to 'dissuade' supporters of the North from being too vocal or offering too much assistance. Frank and John were rarely destructive of personal property, but they were not above using scare tactics.

One such foray on this day took them to the outskirts of Taneytown, east of Emmitsburg and the place where the bulk of General Meade's Union army had been the days leading up to Gettysburg. Word had reached the two men of a farm family that had been particularly friendly towards the yankees and had fed the officers well.

It was time to pay a visit.

Frank and John stopped on a hill overlooking the sprawling farm to assess everything and try to determine how much opposition they might face. They could easily make out a man working a field on one side of the house and a female—they couldn't tell how old—feeding chickens on the other side.

"OK," Frank said. "Don't look too difficult. Let's figure anybody inside is either a kid or a female."

"Who do you want to work on this time? The man or woman?" John asked.

"Gotta see how old they are," Frank answered. "If they're old, the man. If they're younger, the woman. Young bucks are more likely to pay attention when their sweetheart is being threatened."

After a short pause, he said, "Let's go."

Frank and John rode down the hill in a leisurely pace. This was not the time for a sudden charge. If it went according to plan, a little talking to first would lead to more forceful action later, all without incident.

As they approached the farm, they could both see that the adults outside were not young, maybe in their early forties. Past experience told them this would be an easier exercise. The young ones liked to fight.

They rode up towards the house, which would bring them in contact with the female first. She looked to be average height and weight, wearing a typical light weight summer dress. She was well-tanned with dark hair. She gave the men a distrustful glance when it was obvious they were coming up to her.

"Afternoon, ma'am," Frank said, tipping the brim of his hat.

She was silent.

"Wondered if you could assist us for a moment," he added.

"How?" the woman said tersely.

"I guess you heard 'bout the big fight in Gettysburg."

He waited for a reply and only saw a brief nod from her.

"Did you know it was coming? Surprised the hell out of us, didn't it John?"

"Yep," John said.

"Didn't know a thing," she said, throwing a handful of seed to the hens at her feet.

"Really?" Frank said, climbing off his horse. "Hard to believe darn near hundred thousand troops could pass by unnoticed."

"We keep to ourselves."

"Tell me," Frank said. "If the entire Union army passed through here, would you be happy or mad?"

"We're simple farmers with no sons. We don't care one way or nother 'bout the war."

"Frank," John said.

Frank looked up and saw John nodding towards the house. The husband was walking their way, still out of earshot. He asked the woman, "Got any daughters?"

"No!" she said quickly and emphatically.

Frank smiled and waited for the husband to reach them. The farmer was sweating, wiping his brow with a plaid handkerchief.

"Good day, sir," Frank said. "We were just checking up on your daughter."

The man looked baffled. "What about her?"

Frank looked at the wife, but asked the husband, "Do you know where she is?"

"Supposed to be in town."

John got off his horse, knowing that trouble was a distinct possibility very soon. He put his hand near his pistol, just in case.

"How many Union soldiers passed through here last week?" Frank asked him.

"What's goin' on here?" the farmer wanted to know. "Did something happen to Jennie?"

"I'm sure Jennie's fine," Frank said calmly. "But I think we need to talk."

John drew his gun and aimed it at the man.

"Hey!"

"Shut up," Frank said in his roughest tone yet. "Let's go the barn, shall we."

At gunpoint, the man and woman walked side-by-side into the large, two level barn.

"Watch for the girl," Frank told John.

"Got it," John said.

Frank looked around, seemingly searching for something or some place that was in his mind only. Finally, he said, "Over here."

He led the couple near a stall and told them to stop. They watched Frank walk over to a close by workbench and pick up a short piece of rope. He approached the husband.

"Now don't be putting up a fuss, old man. We got guns. You don't. And I bet you don't want your lovely little wife hurt, do you?"

The man didn't answer as Frank was already tying his hands behind his back. Then he tied the remainder of the rope around a post, securing the man to it.

Finally, the farmer said, "What do you want? We got money if that's it."

Frank smiled. "Money won't do us no good. We want answers 'bout what you did to help the yankees that murdered our boys at Gettysburg. Maybe we can persuade you to see things our way from here on out. And your wife is a lousy liar so I'm depending on both of you to tell me the whole truth. Anything less might be, well, painful...for the wife and your little girl."

Frank approached the woman.

"What's your name, honey?"

"Mary."

Frank spied her from head to toe. She wasn't as plain as he first thought now that he saw her close up, although she was not stunning by any means. His guess of forty was about right, he thought.

"Well, Mary. I admire you protectin' your daughter like that, but I'm really disappointed you lied about Meade and his army. John and I don't take kindly to two things: liars and northern sympathizers."

He walked around her, looking her over like he would a new horse. Then he walked back over to the workbench and took hold of a much longer, neatly wound rope. Frank let part of it fall to the floor, judging its overall length in the process.

The moment he flung one end over a beam high above them, the husband shouted, "No. Stop it. Want do you want to know?"

"I'm tellin' you. It's too late for information," Frank said, grappling with the end of rope now hanging down from the ceiling. "It's time for persuadin'. Conversion. Seein' the light."

Frank stood behind Mary. "Put your hands behind your back, sweetheart."

She complied amid her husband's continued protests and, soon, Frank had her wrists secured within a significant knot.

"Get on your knees," he ordered.

Mary sank down onto the dirt and sawdust. Then Frank pulled on the rope until her arms were stretched out above her head. He tied the other end to a nearby post.

"Please! I beg you," the husband whined. "Don't hurt her. Mary didn't do anything to you."

"She fed the officers that led the army that killed our men last week," Frank said, walking back in front of Mary. "In a Confederate court, that would get you executed. Since we're in Maryland, we'll do it our own way. She may WANT to die before it's over."

Frank put his hand on the woman's chin and ran his palm across her cheek. Then the hand fell to the top button at the front of her dress. He opened the top two buttons slowly. At that point it appeared to him as though she had nothing on under the dress and he grinned.

"It's sure hot out, isn't it Mary."

She was looking at the floor.

Another two buttons were open and the top of her breasts were visible. Frank leaned down and finished the job to her waist. The dress hung across the outer half of her tits, giving a tantalizing hint of the skin underneath.

Frank reached for the knife attached to his belt. With composed precision, he cut open the straps across her shoulders and the dress plunged to her knees. He ran the tip of the blade across her ample breasts and dark pink nipples. Mary's eyes were closed the entire time.

They opened again when he heard Frank walk away. She watched him reach up onto the barn wall and pull down a leather whip. The end was tattered from long-time use and Frank pulled it across his palm.

"Perfect," he pronounced just loud enough for Mary to hear.

"I beg you. Please don't..."

"Shut up!" Frank shouted at Mary's husband.

Then he dragged the ragged end of the whip over her breasts; very slowly, stopping completely at each nipple. The next pass was a little faster. And then another.