CHAPTER TWO, the nightmare

[Orion.M.E]

Charles held his pepperbox pistol tight in his hand, he marched in a line of troops at the way front. No one was sure of what was happening, and being at the front wasn't helping calm his nerves. The forest was thick with trees and they approached a clearing, about to support another unit in need. He noticed an enemy about to shoot at his company before anyone else in the unit did, he shot the pistol and somehow landed a shot on the rebel, his rifle went flying out of his hands and he hit the ground with force. That first shot alerted everyone they had company ahead of them. Rebel troops then emerged into view of the regiment more clearly as they marched closer. Things started to pop up in his head from earlier, the major had his head blown off right in front of him, his body fell of his horse and blood had gotten on Charles. The sight couldn't really get out of his head, he loaded his musket as fast as he could and as he got up something pushed him with strong force against a tree. He looked down and his hip was bleeding badly, he had been shot. The pain was unbearable and it hurt to breath. He was getting wheezy, as he got up artillery fire went overhead, hitting people left and right of him. He limped his way into the battle with his rife. Then with a loud bang of artillery fire everything ended for him. He awoke in a sweat in the middle of the night in his tent. He grabbed his shirt and moved it out of the way to examine his hip. The Mark left by the bullets entry was still there, he had suffered from some led poisoning after the battle, but the led wasn't to bad that it would affect him. He had dreams of reliving Shiloh as if he was still there. He thought he would have something amputated that day but luckily it didn't happen. He cleared his head of these traumatic thoughts and calmed himself. Some weeks ago he had escaped prison, he was brought back to his unit sometime ago. His arrival was welcomed by his comrades, he learned that his colonel didn't survive the bullet he took at Stone river. Apparently the man lived for months after the bullet wound with tremendous headaches and passed away after a surgery to remove the bullet. Charles remembered that Kirk was a school teacher before the war from what he heard, and that he was very wealthy. He hoped Kirks kids would be fine, they were little and losing someone important to them must feel terrible. At least the battle of Stone river was won by the north, but it was the worst battle he went through so far. He wrapped himself back in his blanket, to his side was his pistol he used at Shiloh, pride filled him looking at it as he used that pistol to fire the first shot of his regiments first major battle, a battle they won. *I need to get rest* he thought to himself, soon his unit will participate in the front lines of the Atlanta campaign.