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By Root 1364 0

wondered if Virdie Boatright would ever come back. Even if she did, she might not have anything to do with a soldier dressed in blue. Or mightn’t she? Even if she might, she couldn’t take on a whole regiment of them. Or couldn’t she? Even if she could, the benefits would only be temporary. Or wouldn’t they? Even if they weren’t…but Jacob began to realize that what was done could not be undone. For a while he gave serious thought to secretly sending a messenger to Capt. Cecil warning him that Major Melton now intended to shoot to kill. But that would be treason. Or at least fraternization with the enemy. The best that Jacob could hope for would be that if Major Melton started killing he might be killed in return, and then for a while the Federals and Confederates of Newton County could go back to their old safe way of fighting. These thoughts were interrupted by the sight and sound of Major Melton riding up and down the lines brandishing his saber and yelling, “Forward, ho!”

For weeks they searched for Capt. Cecil without finding a single Rebel. Their rations were low, and Jacob didn’t like Major Melton’s idea of “expropriating” rations from the civilian population of the county. Even in peacetime these people had a hard enough task living from hand to mouth. Now they were being victimized not just by the Federal troops but also by roving bands of bushwhackers and jayhawkers.

The people always suffer the brunt of war, Jacob realized, and he yearned to slip away to Stay More to see if his own people were enduring their hardships. He suggested to Major Melton that Capt. Cecil’s troops might have left the county to join Confederate engagements elsewhere. But Major Melton was determined to continue the search, until every holler of Newton County had been explored. Finally Major Melton asked Jacob, “Which of your men would know Cecil best?” and Jacob replied that would be Sergeant Sam Cecil, his own brother. Sam Cecil was called up, and Major Melton asked him if he had any idea where his brother might be hiding. Sam did, but was reluctant to say. Major Melton lost his temper and busted Sam to private, then assembled all the troops and gave them a long lecture on the superiority of patriotism over brotherhood, concluding rhetorically, “If your brother pointed his weapon at you and prepared to fire, would you not return his fire?” Afterward Sam Cecil came to Jacob and said he had decided to go ahead and tell the major where he thought his brother was hiding, but, he asked Jacob, would it be all right to send a secret messenger to John Cecil, warning him that Major Melton now intended to shoot to kill? Jacob had to explain to Sam that that would be treason or at least fraternization with the enemy, and Jacob in clear conscience could not give Sam permission to do so. Even if he did warn his brother, Jacob pointed out, what good would it do? It would just mean that the Rebels would be waiting and ready to shoot to kill, themselves. Yeah, Sam admitted, if somebody’s gonna git kilt, it mout as well be them ’stead of us. So he went to Major Melton and told him that his brother was probably hiding in Limestone Valley, that hotbed of Confederate sympathizers. Major Melton restored Sam to sergeant, and promoted him to chief scout for the expedition to invade Limestone Valley.

The attack was carefully planned, and kept secret from all but the higher officers, but still, when the Federals swept down into Limestone Valley at the crack of dawn, they discovered that John Cecil had been tipped off and was already in full flight with his band of some 180 men. Major Melton ordered a cavalry charge in pursuit and rode at the head of it himself, and was the first to overtake and kill one of the fleeing Rebels. At the far end of Limestone Valley, Capt. John Cecil halted his flight and tried to rally his men to form a line of defense, but when the Rebels saw that the Federals were shooting to kill, saw dozens of their comrades falling, they ran for their lives, scattering all over the mountain. Still Major Melton pursued them, killing many and capturing