Daughter of the Revolution Ch. 12

Daughter of the Revolution

Chapter XII

It was nearly 2:00 am when a pounding at the front door and frenzied shouting woke the house. George was first to the door and threw it open to admit a sweat drenched messenger. He was nearly inarticulate but managed to convey that the bridge Abby and her companions had secured was under heavy attack by redcoats from the south. George ordered the man to grab a couple of slaves and ready their mounts for immediate departure. While the men hurriedly dressed, the sound of cannon fire reached their ears, hastening their efforts to make good speed.

Nathan and James insisted on responding as well and soon all the men departed for the battle, well armed with rifles and sabers. The girls all huddled in the parlor to discuss their predicament.

"What should we do, Abby? Stay here and wait for wounded to arrive?" asked June calmly. Abby was pleased with her friend, she'd come such a long way from being a scared slave girl to become a dependable woman that handled stress quite well.

"You and Maddy stay here with the doctor and prepare for the wounded. Collect all the women you need from the cabins and do all you can to get ready for them. Rose, you and I are going for a ride. I can't sit here and do nothing. Are you game?"

Rose didn't hesitate a second. "You're damn right I'll go. I hate the idea of our men out there in harms way and us doing nothing about it."

"Let's get dressed and head out. June, good luck, we'll be back when we can." Abby went to her and gave her a tight hug and a quick kiss before going to her room to dress.

On the way to the stables, Abby slipped into her father's office and picked up a spyglass she'd noticed there earlier, hoping it might come in handy. She also grabbed her and Rose's squirrel rifles along with her rapier. Together, they swiftly saddled their mounts and headed down the road to the bridge. Luckily, there was a full moon that lit their way and they could navigate quite easily. The two were a hundred yards or so away from the bridge when a cannonball went bouncing and rolling past them with enough momentum to cause serious damage or certain death if it hit a person.

"Damn it, that was kinda close," Rose commented with an adventurous smile.

"I guess so. Let's sneak up behind the troops and see what's happening," Abby answered. She felt a surge of adrenaline and grinned back at Rose. "Just like old times!" she exclaimed happily.

Up ahead the girls saw the shapes of men at the bridge abutment. Abby's immediate concern was being recognized by the militia men and not getting shot.

"Winston! Winston!" She called out loudly.

"Come on in, Mistress Abigail!" a man shouted. "We see you!"

The girls approached the men and Abby asked how the battle was going.

"Pretty rough," the senior man said. "Most of our cannon are exposed as well as a few of theirs. However, they have two or three that are dug in deep on the far hillside and we're having hell trying to take them out. They're picking us off willy nilly and we're taking too many casualties."

"Where are the General and my men at?"

"They're in the thick of it, of course, with our cannon on the front. They're trying to take out the British guns but haven't had any luck so far. Your man is on the west side of our line directing fire and trying to sweep the enemies flank with mounted troops. It'll be easier for us when the sun rises but until then we're mostly shooting at muzzle flashes in the tree line. They can see us better because we're mostly stuck in this open field protecting the bridgehead."

Abby nodded in understanding and nudged her mount forward.

"Mistress, perhaps you should stay here and go no further. We have orders that no one other than militia cross the bridge," the man said nervously.

"On whose orders?" Rose asked.

"The General's, Mistress. He was most explicit."

Abby's horse fidgeted as she was deciding whether to obey the man or not. He thought she was ignoring him and he cried out almost in despair.

"Please, Mistress! Don't go! I'd be in horrible trouble if you crossed."

She wanted nothing more than to join her men but knew it was impossible for her to do. She couldn't ignore the man's well being, while not being sure of how strict his punishment may be when Nathan found out his indiscretion.

"Very well. We'll return to the house and wait until the battle is over. We can't do much anyway to affect the outcome. Good luck, Sir."

"Abigail, what are we up to? You never give in easily," Rose asked quietly as they slipped back down the road.

Abby gave her a mischievous smile. "Damn right we aren't giving in. I want to head east and turn their flank. If you remember from when we arrived, we can cross the creek bed with our horses a couple miles from here, then we'll sneak into the trees where those cannon are dug in and see what we can do. I'm betting the majority of redcoats are on the battlefield and there's just a skeleton crew on the big guns. We need to get crackin' though because daylight is coming."

It took them nearly three hours to stealthily flank the redcoats and sneak in behind the easternmost cannon. They tied the horses to trees and quietly slid in the last 50 yards where there were three soldiers loading and firing the cannon down on the militia. She told Rose her plan and together they pulled it off splendidly. When the soldier firing the cannon touched the flash hole with his taper, the girls timed their shots perfectly with the detonation of the cannon and two redcoats went down. The third was left standing in surprise wondering what had happened. He crouched low and peered over his escarpment looking for militia men to his front as a source of the gunfire that killed his compatriots. Abby quickly reloaded and waited until she heard the next cannon to the west fire, then she emptied the man's skull with a brilliant shot to the brainpan.

Satisfied, the two brave women moved on to the next cannon. The plan went like clockwork at first and they handily killed the first two, but the third man had his wits about him. When his companions tipped over dead, he spun around and seeing the blackpowder smoke from the girl's rifles, charged them immediately. He pulled a pistol from his waist belt and fired at Rose, narrowly missing her head and she ducked involuntarily as the bullet cracked by her ear. Abby bravely met him with her rapier drawn and he pulled his saber just before they clashed. He was a large man and the momentum of his charge bowled her over as she parried his blow.

She was struck nearly senseless and she struggled to rise, knowing she was too slow and sure death was coming. Suddenly, the man let out a cry of agony and Abby looked up in a daze to see Rose fastened to his back with her teeth buried in his neck, growling like a lioness. The man was a seasoned fighter and he threw himself backwards, crushing Rose between his broad back and the unyielding ground. The breath flew from her body with a loud grunt and she lost her grip on the redcoat. He scrambled to his knees just in time to receive Abby's dagger under his chin, the blade puncturing his upper palate and driving deep in his brain. He stiffened up like an oak tree and slowly tipped over on the ground, his heels beating a tattoo on the forest floor as his body spasmed and rattled out a death groan.

Abby ripped her dagger out and slashed his throat open for good measure, then knelt beside Rose who was on her hands and knees gasping for breath.

"Sweetheart, are you ok?" Abby cried in consternation. Rose whooped for breath a few more times and finally nodded her head.

"I think so, that fucker knocked me for a loop," she gasped out.

"Me too, the redcoat son of a bitch," Abby agreed shakily, she was still collecting herself from the man knocking her ass over teakettle. "I should know by now to shoot the biggest, meanest bastard before the little scrawny ones," she wisecracked with a rueful smile. The girls hugged tightly, then Rose kissed Abby softly on the lips and said, "I sure love you honey, thanks for coming to my rescue."

"And I love you, sweetheart. We'd better tidy up that last cannon before they kill more of our men."

Thankfully, the final cannon was manned by only two redcoats who were fixated on putting cannonballs downrange. It was a simple task to head shoot them both with well placed shots from their squirrel rifles. Rose recovered their horses while Abby pulled out her spyglass and perused the ongoing battle below them. Their vantage point was facing north and about a hundred feet in elevation higher than the razed tobacco field in front of them.

Abby spotted George, William, and the General along with Major Moore and they were literally fighting for their lives. Somehow they'd become separated from the main body of militia men and were slowly being pushed back to the steep creek bank by the redcoats.

Abby caught her breath in consternation, then sprang into action. "Rose, help me load the cannon, quickly now! Our men are in trouble!" Frantically, they rammed home powder and shot, then Abby dialed in the elevation on the rear screw until she was satisfied, then she grabbed the long pole used to lever the tongue of the carriage for windage. She did her absolute best to align the barrel with her intended targets, then put her spyglass to her eye.

"Go ahead, Rose!" she called out. There was a mighty blast and she watched the ball sail just behind the redcoats and plow into the ground throwing up a giant cloud of dust and dirt. What she thought was an officer spun about and furiously waved his hands in her direction. Apparently, he thought his men had fired a short round and he was berating them angrily. Abby chuckled grimly and together the two women reloaded as fast as they could. Abby raised the muzzle a touch and waited patiently until the men bunched up as their officer shouted orders over the din of battle, pointing here and there as he plotted how to finish off the militia men.

She took a last look through the glass at her father and his companions. They were laying prone in a small depression and shooting as fast as possible at the redcoats. Nathan turned his head and she saw his lips moving as he barked out an order. The men pulled their sabers and laid them at hand for their last ditch defense. She looked down her line of fire and hoped the ball wouldn't carry to far and hurt her men.

"That's the best I can do, Rose. The redcoats look like they're getting ready to charge our boys. Say a prayer and let 'em have it!" The concussion of the shot fluttered her blonde hair about her face but she didn't flinch at the sound. She watched the ball rip downrange and tear through the soldiers, arms and legs pinwheeled through the air along with a faint, pink mist. At least half of the men went down and the rest went to ground, perhaps a half dozen or so. The officer screamed and shouted, urging the men to get up and charge ahead. They slowly began to gather themselves and assault towards the trapped men.

"The horses, Rose! We need to ride down and help! Let's go!" Abby cried. They hurriedly jumped in their saddles and Abby led the way at a dead run down the hill and across the smoking field of battle. She was fixated on the soldiers that were now running towards their intended targets and she spurred her mount viciously. The girls gained on the redcoats rapidly and Abby called out to Rose. "Trample them down, Rose! Run right through them!"

Through the haze of battle she heard her father bellowing frantic orders. "Cease fire! Cease fire! Friendlies coming in!" Less than a handful of seconds later she smashed into the running line of redcoats. She tried to hold her horse steady but his legs tangled in redcoat bodies and he went down with a neigh of terror, tossing Abby high in the air. While airborne she heard Rose's horse connect with enemy bodies and her high voice yelling in anger. Abby plowed into the ground on her left side and slide to a painful halt, her shirt ripped halfway off her body.

She dimly heard George shouting for the men to charge as she staggered to her feet. Two redcoats were left upright and one of them was almost on her, his bayonet poised to impale her. She swiftly drew her rapier, but as she cleared the scabbard the man's head snapped sideways and his brains scattered over the smoking field. Rose had put him down with a well placed shot. The second man whom appeared to be the officer stood alone, the last among his men to be standing. He drew his saber and advanced towards the charging men, determined to die bravely.

Abby knew from his familiarity with his steel and the confidence in his stride that he would be a formidable opponent. She ran to confront him and heard the militia men calling out to her in dismay. Ignoring them, she addressed the officer with her sword and he was startled beyond words. One moment he was fighting militia men, the next he was braced by a beautiful blonde with nearly naked breasts and dazzling blue eyes, along with a razor sharp rapier.

Thinking she was merely an impediment, he casually swung at her with his saber, thinking she was an easy win. She turned his blow with a strong wrist and her riposte lanced his cheek wide open, so wide she saw the white of his teeth appear before being covered in a sheet of bright red blood. He cried out in surprise and she watched his eyes harden instantly. He came at her with purpose and suddenly she was in the fight of her life.

The man was good, as good as her father and possibly better, she thought. She watched his eyes carefully as they danced with death and she parried his blows numerous times in just a few moments. George and his companions arrived, panting for breath and in awe of the sight before them. Little Abby was holding her own! Suddenly, he made a lightning quick thrust and stabbed her deep in the thigh just above her knee, she tripped, then went down, and with a long stride, the redcoat pounced. She deftly rolled into him and between his outstretched legs. The men saw a flash in her left hand as her dagger took the officer in the groin and his femoral artery was parted in an instant.

He cried out in agony and collapsed on the ground, pouring blood like a fountain. Abby swiftly stood up and kicked his saber from his grip, then straddled his body. "You shoulda stayed home, redcoat," she said calmly. "You've been killed by a simple farm girl." General Greene cried out loudly trying to stop her when he saw her intentions, but he was too late. Her blade slid in the redcoat's throat and out the back of his neck to bury itself in the ground. The officer squirmed and whined pitifully as his life leaked into the dirt, Abby holding his eyes locked with hers until he died horribly, choking on his own blood.

She whipped her rapier free and then kicked him in the head using her good leg. "Cocksucker," she cursed. "If you wanna try to kill my men you better bring a tougher army."

"Abigail! Enough!" George said sternly.

"Mind your own, father! He was trying to kill you and William!" she cried out in anger.

"She saved your life, George. Damn it, man. Take it easy," Nathan commanded. Suddenly, a shot cracked overhead and they all hugged the dirt. A number of redcoats remained on the field advancing from the west and they began to pour heavy musket fire on the companions. From the far side of the treeline a cannon roared and grapeshot scythed through the troops, killing several and hastening their assault against George and his people. Another round of grapeshot ripped through them and before their bodies hit the ground a battle cry was heard from the trees. "Winston! Winston!"

Alec led the charge of shouting, mounted militia men and they swept across the field, taking down the last few remaining redcoats. They killed every last one with a bloody vengeance.

Alec galloped up and dismounted at a dead run, then caught Abby up in a tight hug as she crumpled to the ground, grasping her bleeding leg in pain. "Oh Abby! What were you thinking? My sweet, crazy girl!"

"It looked like you all needed a little help, so we decided to lend a hand," she said weakly as she struggled to catch her breath in his strong arms.

"Yep, we just meandered up that hill over there and took three cannon, then decided to mosey on down here and save a few lives," Rose deadpanned, just before William swept her off her feet and kissed her until she was gasping for air.

"I've never seen the like," Nathan said humbly. "You ladies are truly brave beyond words. Thank you both for saving us today. Without you we'd have been pushed over the creek bank and shot down like rats in the bottoms, if we'd survived the fall."

"Oh, Uncle Nathan. You exaggerate a bit, I think," Abby said gently. She struggled to her feet and kissed his cheek fondly. "I hope this means you'll stay another night with us? I think you and the Major need some rest after today," she coaxed, then threw James a conspiratorial wink, whom smiled and his heart melted a little more with his feelings for her.

"I agree, General. We and our men could certainly use some rest, and maybe get our wounds looked at." James said solemnly.

"Who's wounded, Major, other than our dear Abby?"

"Well, a few local militia men are dead, there's several wounded, and apparently you have a hole in your left calf, sir."

"What? The hell you say. I never felt a thing," Nathan said in surprise while looking down at his blood soaked pants leg. "Well shit!"

Abby's horse was down and neighing in pain from a broken foreleg so Alec dispatched it with a merciful shot from his pistol, then lifted Abby to sit in front of him on his mount. The companions set off for the plantation leaving the surviving militia men to mop up and plunder the bodies. Alec held Abby close to his chest and when they were nearly home she started to shake uncontrollably. The adrenaline dump and her loss of blood was putting her into shock. When they arrived at the big house, he immediately carried her inside to where June was assisting the doctor caring for the wounded.

"Oh no! Alec, how is she?" June cried out in a pained voice, as if Abby's wound were her own.

"She's not doing well, loss of blood I think," he said urgently. "Doc, we need some help here!" he called out.

"When I can, young man. There's other wounded you know," he said gently but firmly.

"Doctor!" George demanded in a loud voice.

"You heard me, George. When I get time."

Major Moore took Alec's arm. "Come with me. I've seen plenty of wounds like this. We'll stop the bleeding, elevate her leg, and keep her warm. She'll need fluids as well. "Rose, can you help please?" he asked calmly.

"I'm fine," Abby piped up still held aloft in Alec's thickly muscled arms. "Just take me to...oh, oh dear..." her eyes rolled back and she passed out cold.

Alec tensed up in fear but James was at his side. "Easy, big fella. She'll be fine. Let's go to your bedroom. Rose, gather some bandages and more blankets. I'll kick the fire up to help keep her warm." His calm, reassuring demeanor was invaluable and helped settle down rattled nerves. June went to George and convinced him to slow down and take a seat while Maddy rounded up some whiskey for him.

While she served him she saw Nathan's bloody pants leg and her face went pale. "Oh Master! Let me help you, please sit down!" she begged as she clutched his arm.

"I'm fine for now, dear Maddy. I'll visit with the wounded and make sure we're doing all we can for them first." She accompanied him and he leaned on her shoulder more and more as he visited the wounded for nearly an hour, assisting the doctor with dressings and such when he was able. Finally, the doctor checked on Abby. James had done an excellent job and she was resting comfortably. She awoke long enough to take a sip of laudanum and in short order was the proud recipient of a half dozen stitches needed to close her leg wound. Nathan then allowed himself to be treated. The doctor cleaned his bullet wound thoroughly. It was a clean pass through and just needed a few stitches on each side of his calf muscle to close it up.