"Civil Wars" by Captain Scotty Renz

Let the battles begin...again.  For a modern-day retelling of the battles won and lost a century and a half ago, read on for an in-depth look at "Civil Wars".

November 21, 2011     Location - Suwannee:
 
It is Sunday now and the Mighty 8th is stirring in the morning dew.   Young Belle is at the edge of camp with the Captain’s wife, bathing in a small creek.  To their surprise they are almost trampled by a Union scout on horseback.  He is seen by the pickets and the bugle sounds, as it seems there is a surprise attack forthcoming.  Enraged again the big man, Belle's father, ignores the call.  Once again, fueled by hate, he rushes the startled scout and pulls him off his mount by the throat and strangles him in midair.  Dropping the body like a sack of potatoes, he grabs young Belle and Miss Cindy and carries them to safety.  In camp Captain Scotty readies his men as the big man falls in rank.  In the hill General Hardy sees that, as he hoped, the confederate army has arrived.  With Union soldiers coming out of the woods Hardy know this his day.  In an all out assault on the enemy lines the men are possessed by their Generals cry, "LETS GO KILL THE YANKEE SONS OF BITCHES".  With the fury of a storm the Mighty 8th leads the charge with the big man showing the way. Today is a new day and a different medicine is in store for the now outnumbered Union army.  Embittered by Saturday’s defeat, the men bore into the heart of the enemy lines killing everything in sight.  Today is a glorious day for Hardy and the Mighty 8th as they wade through like a hot knife through butter.  It is barely noon and the smoke still thick and the day belongs to the South and as the last man in blue runs away.  Captain Scotty shakes his fist and yells, "YOU RUN YOU BASTARD AND TELL 'EM WHO SENT YOU TO HELL!", all the time knowing that hell has many gates in CIVIL WARS.



November 20, 2011     Location - Suwannee:
 
After getting a secret dispatch from his trusted courier, Chuck the Cowboy, General Hardy now knows he is outnumbered 5 to 1.  Knowing by instinct the rest of the army will not arrive in time, he places his men very carefully.  Hoping to hold of the Yankee onslaught, he sends in his Second Battalion to draw them into the fight.  Moving the First Battalion with a dead run to flank as he sees a chance to do damage.  Charging hard and fast, the Mighty 8th bores in for fresh meat.  Hungry for the sting of battle and inspired by the General's speech, they drive and scare the HELL out if the Union lines.  Confused and being hit from all sides, the hornets’ nest erupts into hand-to-hand.  Men, cannon, horse and lead fill the small field with blood and smoke.  Amist the screams, the bodies stack like cordwood as the Union numbers take control.  With his damage done and the Union hurt, Hardy orders a retreat, knowing that reinforcements will be on site Sunday.  As the Confederate Army draws away, the Mighty 8th falls back to camp to lick its wounds and eat their Thanksgiving meal.  With men healing and bellies full, Captain Scotty stands on the edge of field.  In the mist of evening and the flood of tears he knows the fluid that spills will again be red as Sundays battle grows closer in CIVIL WARS.



November 9, 2011     Location – Ocklawaha:
 
In the cool mist of a Saturday morning, Company B of the 8th Fl. awakens to the smell of coffee and a hot meal and to find their long lost mess cook back from a Yankee prison camp.  Wishing to be with her men than on leave, she is hard at work to feed the troops before the day’s battle.  Spirits are high and with bellies full the men march into conflict at Ocklawaha.  Young Belle is in camp for the first time due to the Yankees killing her mother.  With a mighty yell, the big man, her father, takes out his rage during battle and slaughters a picket line all by himself.  Inspired, the 8th Fl. and the Confederate Army destroy the Yankee onslaught by Sunday afternoon.  Captain Scotty is pleased and issues a two week leave for all and ready’s his plans for the next engagement at Suwannee River.  As the last man to leave the bloody battlefield, he wonders what lay ahead for his men, cook and baby Belle in Civil Wars.