Draw Sabers! (eBook)

A Cavalryman's Story of the Civil War

David Ekardt (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2024 | 1. Auflage
276 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
979-8-3509-7210-8 (ISBN)

Infos

'Draw Sabers! A Cavalryman's Story of the Civil War', is a historical novel of a young man and his friends in the 5th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry in the Civil War. Although written as a novel, it follows the life of these young men based on military records of the main character, the unit roster, unit history and several resource books about the 5th Ohio, including some firsthand accounts. The training that they went through which normally would take two years, was condensed into six months due to the need of manpower as the war was not going well for the Union at that time. Once they were trained, they were not fully armed for an entire year. When they finally received enough Colt Pistols, Burnside Carbines and enough sabers for all the men, they became a force to be reckoned with. You will learn of the hardships, and good times they had. Many endured a few months of being prisoners at Cahaba prison before being exchanged. They eventually were assigned to Kilpatrick's command under Sherman, battling around Atlanta, through Georgia to the sea, then up through South and North Carolina, until the war ended. Many times they endured lack of rations and feed for their horses while they foraged for sustenance on their march to the sea. Once the war ended in April of 1865, they did not get mustered out until October thirtieth, 1865, as they were kept there as occupation troops. This story will give you an insight to the hardships of a cavalryman during the Civil War as well as some of the good times that they had. So, Draw Sabers and enjoy a good story

David Ekardt has been giving history talks for several years as a regular at the Tampa Bay History Center, reenactments, civic groups and schools. These talks center around the U.S. Marines in the Civil War and in the Second Seminole War. As a Marine veteran of Vietnam, David has always had a great interest in history, especially of the Marine Corps. He has had several articles about the Marine involvement in the Civil War published, and assisted in the creation of a map compilation of Marine and Naval actions in that war for the Navy Marine Living History Association. His books include, 'The U.S. Marines in the Second Creek and Second Seminole War', 'Taggert of the Marines', 'A Marine's Letters From Nicaragua', 'Brady's Rangers', 'Load and Fire, a Soldier's Story of the Civil War', and e-book, 'Full Disclosure'. Besides many years in management for corporations and the State of Florida, he has also been active in church and was a Scoutmaster for fourteen years teaching several outdoor skills, survival, canoeing, archery, marksmanship and emergency preparation.

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"e;Draw Sabers! A Cavalryman's Story of the Civil War"e; is a historical novel of a young man and his friends in the 5th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry in the Civil War. Written as a novel, it follows the life of these young men based on the main character's military records, the unit roster, the unit's history, and several resource books about the 5th Ohio, including some firsthand accounts. The training that they went through was condensed from two years into six months due to a need for Union manpower. Once they were trained, they were not fully armed for an entire year. They went into their first engagements with sabers, poor quality pistols, and one hundred and twenty carbines for a regiment of 1,100 men. They were involved at the battles around Chattanooga and Shiloh where, due to their inferior pistols and lack of weapons, they were put in reserve. Once they finally received enough Colt Pistols, Burnside Carbines, and sabers for all the men, they became a force to be reckoned with. They fought through Mississippi, where several of them were captured, and spent a few months in Cahaba prison before being exchanged. They endured horrible weather and rode through the night or slept on the ground wrapped up in their blankets, with the reins of their horses tied to their wrists. They were eventually assigned to Kilpatrick's command under Sherman, battling around Atlanta, through Georgia to the sea, then up through South and North Carolina. Many times, they endured lack of rations and feed for their horses and had to forage for sustenance on their march to the sea. Once the war ended in April of 1865, they did not get mustered out until October 30th, 1865. This story will give you insight into the hardships of a cavalryman during the Civil War, as well as some of the good times that they had. So, Draw Sabers and enjoy a good story!

Textauszug

1

The Biergarten

“Did you get enough to eat, you only had seconds?” Elizabeth teased her husband.

“Yes Lizzie, your veal wiener schnitzel was excellent as ever, but I have to leave some room for beer this evening.” Peter replied.

“Are all the brothers going to be at your “biergarten’ tonight?”

“George, Gottlieb and Fred will be there, and possibly Christian. Papa is going to come down too according to Gottlieb.”

“How does Gottlieb like living with your parents and the Bieglers with their three daughters? I bet he gets no peace and quiet with all those girls and the adults.”

“He’s tolerating it for now, after all he doesn’t spend much time there. Between his job and helping to oversee the farm, it keeps him busy and out of trouble.” Replied Peter.

“I suppose you boys will be discussing the war and such. Have you let them know that you are enlisting?” she asked.

“I haven’t told Papa, or the others yet. I think Christian is about ready to join also. By going now, I’ll be getting a bonus. If we wait much longer, they may start conscripting men without the bonuses.” Besides I can’t be a bristle comber all my life.” Peter replied.

“I really don’t like the idea of you doing this, but I understand why you feel that you must. With little Elizabeth just a year old and another one on the way in a few months, I’ll be kept busy while you are gone. I had hoped to have Elizzabeth out of diapers before having another one, but we weren’t too careful, were we?” she smiled.

“As I recall someone was really cold back in February, and I was just trying to keep you warm!” he quipped. “Besides, you’ll have Mama and Mrs. Biegler to help as well as Sophie and Marie. You’ll have plenty of food, with the produce, and pork from the farm as well as the chickens out back.”

“The thought of you being away so long and maybe getting wounded or killed really bothers me.”

“I know Schatzi, but being in the cavalry is the safest branch to be in from what I have heard from some of the infantry and cavalry recruiters in town. They aren’t being used as front-line troops, mostly as scouts and guards. One of the infantry sergeants joked that ‘They’ve never seen a dead cavalryman!’

“That’s all well and good, but you make for a bigger target on the back of a horse. Alright it’s almost time for you to go over to the creek and your ‘biergarten’, so hold the baby for a few minutes while I clear off the table. And if she needs a diaper change while you have her, you can change it. A big soldier should have no fear of a dirty diaper!” she laughed as she handed the baby to him.

“I think her dirty diapers smell worse than the horse dung that I’ve cleaned up over the years.” He laughed.

“Come here my little Hase, how about trying a little applesauce before your Mama takes it off the table?” He took a little spoonful and put it to her mouth. Little Elizabeth gingerly took it all a little at a time. Peter fed her a couple more spoons full which she gladly consumed.

“Alright, I’ll take her back, you were lucky, she didn’t fill her diaper for you. Your pail of beer is on the counter along with your old beer stein. Don’t stay out too late and be quiet when you come in, so you don’t wake Elizabeth.”

“You know it might get a bit confusing when she gets older with both of you named Elizabeth. I’ll just have to keep calling you Lizzie.” He picked up his pail of beer and mug, kissed both on the head, and left.

On the way out he picked up his old chair off the porch and walked down to Lick Run Pike and crossed over. He and his brothers had been meeting by the creek named Lick Run a couple times a month for several years. He always thought it was a strange name for a stream.

“Guten Abend!” He heard his older brother Fred call out from the copse of trees where they set up their chairs by the creek.

“Guten Abend to you brother! I see you are not getting any better looking with age!” Peter called back.

“And I see you have not learned to respect your elders yet!” Fred laughed. “How’s Elizabeth and the little one? Unbelievable that you have another one on the way so soon. I hope Lizzie puts you to work washing diapers for the two little ones when the next one pops out. I thought I explained to you what causes that. I guess you didn’t listen to me. At the rate you two are going we’ll have to build you a really big house!”

“I know what causes that, we just enjoy it!” He smiled.

“What are you two up to now?” They heard the booming voice of their father call out as he and Gottlieb came into view followed by George and Christian.

They all gathered around and set up their chairs in a circle after greeting one another. Gottlieb started a small fire in the center of the circle to ward off the August mosquitoes and they all lit their pipes.

“Fill your steins and let us have a toast.” Johann Ekardt instructed his sons and son-in-law “Raise your steins and let’s toast to us, the Ekardts, may we all continue to prosper and keep in good health.” They all joined in and drank to complete the toast. “Now pass this bag around, your Mama made some fresh pretzels for you boys. They’ll help soak up the beer, so you don’t go home drunk tonight and get into trouble for you married ones.” He chuckled.

“Ah yes, beer!” Gottlieb exclaimed. “Another toast to Luther. As Martin Luther once said, “Beer makes us sleepy, when we sleep, we do not sin, so drink beer!”

“To beer!” They all laughed and drank.

“Has anyone heard from Henry lately? Is he still in California? It sure would be good to have him here with the rest of us.” Fred asked.

“We got a letter from him a few months back, he is living in San Francisco now, he claims he is doing well, yet he didn’t explain how or what he is doing to earn money.” Johann replied.

“I guess him making a fortune in the gold fields didn’t pan out,” Fred joked, causing the others to groan at his pun.

“How have you been doing Papa?” Peter asked, changing the subject since he knew his father was disappointed with Henry.

“Oh, he’s been doing fine.” Gottlieb responded. “I must watch over him when we go up to the farm to supervise the workers. Every time I turn around, he grabs a shovel, spade or rake and starts working! He’s supposed to be taking life easy because of his heart, and he thinks he’s still young. Between my job and helping him oversee the farm hands, I get no rest at all having to keep watch over him.” Gottlieb complained.

“Papa, you know better, and if you keep it up, we’ll tell Mama and then you’ll really be in for it!” Fred scolded him.

“I know, boys, having worked hard all my life, it’s really hard to sit by and watch everyone else work.” Johann admitted.

“The farm is doing well; we have some good fellows working on it. The crops are coming along very well; the smokehouse is overflowing with pork, ham and bacon, enough for all of us for the winter. Also, we have them cutting down trees in the northern part of the property for firewood, enough for us and some to sell. The hogs are reproducing as fast as Peter and Elizabeth, so we’ve been selling those that we don’t need to keep.” Gottlieb explained, getting a laugh from the group except for Peter.

“The other day, I stayed up there so late that I spent the night there, and it was a good thing that I did. In the middle of the night we heard the pigs squealing so I grabbed the shotgun and ran out and there was a man trying to get away with one of the hogs. He didn’t go away with one, but he did run away with an arsch full of buckshot! He’ll be picking that buckshot from his butt cheeks for the next week!” Gottlieb exclaimed, which made the others laugh.

“What will happen if our workers go off to war, who will you get to replace them? There are several workers where I work leaving. The owner has hired some runaway darkies and they seem to be working out alright, so bear that in mind.” Peter interjected.

“That brings up a serious topic for tonight’s talk boys. I hope none of you are getting anxious about joining the army and going off to war. Don’t think about becoming like the Teutonic Knights of old in the stories you read about growing up. There has been a lot of fighting in Missouri and Virginia mostly and with last month’s defeat at Manassas, Virginia, this is not going to be over anytime soon. Now if you are inclined to enlist, do not go together, do not get in the same unit. It would be hard enough on your mother and me to lose anyone of you, but if you go together and get killed together, I don’t think she would survive something like that.” Their father cautioned.

“We have talked about it a few weeks ago, and if we do not go voluntarily, it’s likely that the government will start conscripting men, and we would be prime candidates for that.” Christian interjected.

“I understand and believe that this war was not asked for however this country is worth fighting for. You jungen all grew up here in this country and have benefited from what it has to offer and the freedoms that you have. It wasn’t so in the old country. The rulers were always trying to over tax us, there was still problems between the Catholics and Lutherans, and just a few years ago there were what was called the Socialist...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 20.9.2024
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte
• ISBN-13: 979-8-3509-7210-8 / 9798350972108