A True Love’s Promise: 1862

17 September 1862
“PLASMA—NOW! DON’T JUST STAND THERE! GIVE IT TO ME—HE’S BLEEDING TO DEATH!” The bullet punctured Cole’s right liver deeply; his vision started to blur.
“Stay with us, Cole! Keep your eyes on me—we’re going to the hospital right now!” Cole couldn’t keep his eyes open. The pain was excruciating; the loss of blood made his world spin until there wasn’t a world anymore, just complete darkness.
The promise he had once vowed to his beloved, Maria Janice Rose, could not be kept: “My Dear, I promise to come back to you when this war is over. I love you, Maria, never forget that—”
***
27 April 1849
The sun was barely kissing the horizon, and 10-year-old Maria could not wait to see her best pal, Cole Joseph Augustine. She eagerly sat by the window hoping he would come a little earlier than he had promised. Every minute felt like an eternity to Maria.
Ugh, she thought to herself, maybe Cole isn’t coming after all. Just as she lost all hope, she heard a slight banging sound of a tin pail. Cole?, she wondered. As she looked out the window, a grin so great, you could not forget, beamed across her face.
“Hi, Cole. You know you’re 5 minutes and 45 seconds late, which is another 345 seconds of me waiting for you?” Cole let out a giggle and responded,
“Sorry Maria, it won’t happen next time.”
“Good.”
“Now, don’t you be mad! I was late because I picked a flower and wanted to give it to you.” The petals draped over one another, resembling a princess ball gown in Maria’s eyes. The colors were ravishing—from a white descending into almost like a lilac color.
“Cole—i-it’s beautiful! Thank you!” She squeezed Cole too hard, almost cutting off his air supply. The thought of him bringing her this flower brought a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart. She could feel a stir in the pit of her stomach but wasn’t sure about what caused the fluttering feeling—maybe butterflies. Maria was too young to know what it meant to feel love, yet she somehow knew that Cole was to be her destiny.
***
25 July 1862
“Cole catch me if you can!”
“You underestimate my speed, darling.” Maria ran as fast as she could to keep Cole from catching up with her. As she halted at a tree for a breath, she couldn’t see Cole anywhere. That’s strange, she thought, I know I’m not that fast—
“BOO!” Maria, startled, fell to the floor and brought Cole down with her. “You scared me! I thought I lost you.” Their eyes met face-to-face. The breathing between the both of them began to accumulate immensely. Then he brought his lips upon hers. The kiss was gentle, each of their lips brushed across one another. Maria suddenly felt the urge to interrupt their romantic moment“Move west with me, Cole!”
“West? What in the world are you talking about?”
“My family wants to move West due to the Homestead Act, Lincoln finally passed. They’re giving 160 acres of free land! Your Pa’s a farmer! Our families can move together! Oh Cole, I’ve heard so many great things about the West, You’ll ju—” Maria noticed the concern on Cole’s face. “Cole, what’s wrong?”
“Maria, I can’t.”
“What do you mean you can’t! You’ve been telling me your family needed more land anyways, why are you giving up on this opportunity, are you giving up on me? Do you not lo—”
“I’m leaving for war. WAR! Maria.” War—That three-lettered word induced agony.
“W-when did . . . did you sign up? Why didn’t you tell me, Cole?”
“I was going to tell you tonight, but your bringing up the topic of us moving? I couldn’t just painfully lie to you in the eyes and agree with you!” Tears cascaded down her delicate, pale face. Her blue, satin Jenny dress soaked it up like a sponge soaking up water, creating a huge mess.
“Maria, Maria. Look at me.” She turned her head for him to witness her once clear-as-the- sky blue eyes that were now a saddened gray, gloomy day. “My Dear, I promise to come back to you when this war is over. I love you, Maria, never forget that—”
They held one another until the sunset spewed magnificent hues of orange and pink then later swallowed by the horizon’s edge. It was such a bold promise Cole made, but could he keep it?
***
17 September 1892
General George B. McClellan lined all his men in their places ready for the Battle of Antietam. He was also known for his “sharp mind and charismatic presence; no officer was more proficient at organizing, training, and inspiring his soldiers” (Woodhead). The soldiers, including Cole, anticipated General McClellan to signal the war anytime soon. Finally, “McClellan unleashed his attack at dawn” (McPherson). Military armaments lined up along the union lines, consisting of 12 pound Howitzers and the 10 pound Parrot rifles—Civil War cannons.
Minie ball bullets from rifles sped through the foggy, chilly air making it difficult to see where the enemy was shooting from. Bullets, coming in all directions, were killing men instantaneously from left to right as both sides suffered great losses.
Under McClellan was Major General Jospeh Hooker who led his three divisions and “. . . crossed to the west bank of the stream . . .” (Antietam). They “swept south against the confederate left, where Stonewall Jackson’s men waited near the . . . Dunkers” (Antietam).
Hundreds of shells “roared overhead” past Cole’s head (Antietam). Experiencing war brought fear and paralysis running through his veins—he couldn’t move. He quickly took a swig of his bark juice. He would be a coward for not fighting for his country, and most of all, for his one true love, Maria. However, a glimpse of the battlefield crushed all his hopes and dreams of reuniting with her. Limbs scattered the field. The disembodied, lifeless hands seemed to be reaching out to the hands of their loved ones that they would never hold again. As he stood up and ran toward the enemy line, he paused and held his side, only to see a vibrant color of red seeping out of his unbathed, mud-covered flesh. Two medics immediately ran over to him to help subside his injury.
“PLASMA—NOW! DON’T JUST STAND THERE! GIVE IT TO ME—HE’S BLEEDING TO DEATH!” The bullet punctured Cole’s right liver deeply; his vision started to blur.
“Stay with us Cole! Keep your eyes on me—We’re going to the hospital right now!” Cole couldn’t keep his eyes open. The pain was excruciating; the loss of blood made his world spin until there wasn’t a world anymore, just complete darkness.
The promise he had once vowed to his beloved, Maria Janice Rose, could not be kept: “My Dear, I promise to come back to you when this war is over. I love you, Maria, never forget that—”
***
17 September 1862: “a day destined to be the bloodiest of the war” (McPherson). The Confederates capitulated to the Union and they took the victory of the gory, one-day battle. As the battle came to a whirlwind, Antietam claimed “12,401 dead and wounded Federals, and 10,318 Confederates. [Not only did the Confederates neglect to win the battle, but they also] lost [their] best chance to rally Maryland to banner and gain European recognition” (McPherson). Around the same time, Abraham Lincoln issued “the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, changing the original aims of the war — to preserve the union — into a crusade to free slaves” (McPherson).
After the war, General George B. McClellan was dismissed by Lincoln because he “seemed unable to muster the courage to aggressively engage Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia” (History). He was promptly replaced by Ambrose Burnside.
***
Cole woke up to an excruciating pain on his lower abdomen. He had been out for so long, he had almost forgotten how he ended up at the hospital. Just as he woke, he saw a potential stranger with a white lab coat on at his bedside kneeling, speaking with his eyes closed but no words vocally coming out. Okay, this is strange, Cole thought, why is this stran—
“Cole! You’re awake! Praise God! I thought you were about to die! Your injuries were so fatal and the loss of blood was nearly impossible to keep you alive! Yet, here you are! The Lord has answered my prayers!” Prayer, what was that? Is this man crazy? Who the BLOODY HECK does he think he is! Cole’s mind rummaged through peak of animosity.
“Is something wrong C—”
“YES! There’s something obviously wrong. First of all, I don’t even know you, second of all, you are spit-spatting here about God-related CRAP THAT IS NOT MY CONCERN, and third, you speaking mumbo-jumbo beside my bed is not okay!” The man’s eyes fluttered back and forth so fast, almost like the wings of a hummingbird, and his expression displayed an uttermost shock. Cole couldn’t tell if the man was tearing up, but the moment he let out those words, he felt guilt weighing upon his shoulders.
“Look man, I—”
“You can call me Doctor James Reynold. You can thank me later for saving your life, if your ungrateful attitude decides to subside.” Cole knew at that moment he had made a mistake and regretted it instantly.
“I-I’m sorry Doc, I had no clue . . . the truth is, I’ve never had an encounter with . . . God before . . . this is all news to me.”
“It’s fine, the Lord will give me understanding to forgive you, which I have.”
“Speaking about that Doc, what you said earlier of how my injuries were fatal and I could’ve died, but prayer helped saved my life. How–how is that possible?” Doctor James Reynold began telling Cole all about his faith, which sparked a curiosity, but what struck Cole the most were these very own words: He hears anyone who comes to him in humility. Anyone who is willing to let go the idea . . . they can fix it on their own and instead submit to His will. That is when people see Him work . . . miracles can happen . . . [and] lives are forever changed by his touch (White).
***
1 December 1862
It had been months since Maria last saw her love. Oh, how much she missed him. She sat by the window everyday, just as she did when she was 6 years old, hoping that Cole would come around the corner and come home—home to her. Her tears slowly glided down from her face onto the letters she had written for him. The tears collecting on the paper smudged the once heart-felt letter into a letter that reflected her insanity without Cole. She earnestly held onto the letters hoping she could give it to him in person if he ever kept his promise. As of now, that promise seemed to be broken. His exact words kept running through her head: “My Dear, I promise to come back to you when this war is over. I love you, Maria, never forget that—” Vexation filled her thoughts: He’s dead. He lied . . .HE LIED, HE LIED!
As Maria looked up, she saw a once familiar face—Cole!
“COLE! YOU’RE ALIVE!” Cole chuckled, “Of course I am. I made a promise to you didn’t I?”
Cole began telling Maria the complete story of his war experience, which intrigued Maria and left her speechless and constantly worried due to his injury. Cole’s eyes had seen the horrors of war—a war where brother fought against brother. Maria’s eyes had cried tears as she waited for Cole’s return. Now, they were finally reunited, and neither hesitated a moment to close the remaining space, embracing each other in assurance that brighter days were to come.
***
Works Cited
McPherson, James M. The Atlas of the Civil War. Macmillan, 1994. Print.
White, Roseanna M. A name unknown. Bethany house, a division of Baker Publishing Group, 2017. Print.
Woodhead, Henry. Antietam. Neil Kagan, 1996. Print.
Bibliography
“Ambrose E. Burnside.” Civil War Trust, Civil War Trust. n.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan 2018.
“Civil War Weapons.” HistoryNet. n.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan 2018.
History.com Staff. “Emancipation Proclamation.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 29 Jan 2018.
mightynetworks. “Lincoln removes McClellan – 11/5/1862.” Youtube, 5 Nov. 2017. Video. 29 Jan 2018.
“Primary Documents in American History.” Homestead Act: Primary Documents of American History (Virtual Programs & Services, Library of Congress). n.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan 2018.