Manassas-Part 4/7 Summary and disclaimers in Part 1 ***** "If I had Stonewall Jackson at Gettysburg, I would have won that fight." Robert E. Lee ***** August 27, 1862-Just after midnight Anderson Farm Near Manassas Junction Scully stood on the porch of the house watching the activities around her in amazement. Here she was, standing in the middle of the state of Virginia, in the middle of the United States of America, watching men in tattered gray uniforms loot an occupied home. It was unthinkable. That something so sinister, so violating, could be happening to a resident of what many people considered the most free country in the world. And yet it was happening in front of her eyes. Maddie had gone inside with the few soldiers that had entered there. Scully knew she would not be able to stop them from taking what they wanted, but she supposed Maddie would at least try. Once more, she found herself looking at the man in charge. "How can you do this?" she asked, her voice low. "They have so little already." Stanton was silent for a while, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly. "Mrs. Hale. This isn't Washington. This is war." "How did you know my name?" "Oh, come now. Did you actually think I wouldn't ask around about you after our previous meeting? I'm sure you asked around about me." Scully felt her face heat and was thankful for the darkness, lit only by the burning torches, which cast an orange glow. Stanton continued."You are a mystery, Mrs. Hale. It was hard to find someone who knew anything about you. Alexander, who I dislike speaking with, was the only one who had caught your name. He was at Parker's the night you were there. The ladies think he looks dashing in blue. If they only knew." "This Alexander is a spy?" She wondered if she had met him that night. Stanton nodded. "And a good one." He dismounted, and Scully instinctively wrapped her arms tighter around herself, suddenly aware that she was not quite dressed appropriately to greet strange men. Stanton looped the reins over the porch railing and slowly made his way up the steps. Scully felt her heart beat faster and cursed herself for it. What had happened to her? Suddenly, she had turned into a wimp around men. Or at least around this man. "What's the matter, Mrs. Hale?" His voice was low, almost inaudible. He stopped in front of her. "You're trembling." "I'm cold," Scully whispered. It had to be nearly 80 degrees and steaming on this late August night. Stanton's eyes darted downward, toward her chest. "Yes. I can see that." He wore that irritating smirk again. Scully glanced down and realized what he was staring at. Neither the dressing gown or the cotton nightgown she wore were very thick. With embarrassment, she wrapped her arms around herself tighter, not realizing that the movement made what Stanton was observing that much more obvious. "Alexander never heard about Mr. Hale," Stanton continued. "So tell me about him." "He's dead," Scully said softly. "He died several years ago." Stanton nodded, and lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry." Scully felt herself relax a bit. Surely this man was a gentleman. Surely he would leave her alone if she exhibited sorrow over her 'deceased' husband. But then his eyes came up and met hers again, and their intensity stunned her. "But life does go on, does it not?" Maddie came out of the house, breaking whatever spell Stanton had been about to cast. He stepped away from her and faced Maddie. "I'm very sorry for this, Mrs. Anderson. Jackson's men are starving; their supplies ran out days ago." "Jackson? He's here?" Stanton nodded. "He'll be in Manassas by morning." He paused. "Melanie is with his troops. If it's any consolation, what we take here will help her as well as the soldiers she cares for." Maddie's eyes had gone soft. "Thank you, Jason." One of the soldiers that had gone into the house spoke to Stanton. "Sir, we left enough provisions to last these folks a few days." He looked at Maddie apologetically. "And it is almost harvest." Stanton nodded. "Thank you, Hopley. Mount up and lead the men back to camp." The man nodded, then left the porch. All the others had mounted and they began to form up behind Hopley, leaving the farm undamaged, but not whole. Three riders stayed behind; waiting for their Colonel, Scully presumed. Stanton had walked off the porch to where Jonah was standing and was talking quietly to the man. Jonah watched him with anger in his eyes, but respect as well. And whatever Stanton was saying to him made his expression relax. He nodded at something the Colonel said, then turned and headed back to the barn, Alfred at his heels. Stanton stood watching him for a while. "Colonel?" Scully jumped at the voice, not because it startled her, but because she recognized it. She turned to look closer at the men waiting for Stanton. Her eyes widened in utter astonishment. She almost began giggling. They were a ragged trio, these three men. One tall and dark, his beard as full as his commander's. Another tall and fair, with only slight fuzz on his chin. And the third, short and stocky, his face nearly hidden behind hair and his hat sitting at a jaunty angle. The Lone Gunmen? On horses? She bit the inside of her cheek in an effort not to smile. The thought of Mulder riding a horse was astounding enough. That these three should be a part of Stuart's cavalry was...unthinkable! Stanton had mounted again, and he touched the brim of his hat with his fingers. "Mrs. Anderson. Mrs. Hale." With only a subtle touch of his left spur to his horse's side, he made the big roan spin on its haunches and canter away, the other three following, looking amazingly adept in the saddle. Scully shook her head. Not a day went by when she wasn't shocked by something in this place. "You seem to know him well," she said softly to Maddie. "His father used to own the plantation down the road," Maddie said quietly. "He and Todd went to West Point together." "Plantation?" Scully asked. "Do they own slaves?" "His father did, yes. But when the old codger died, Jason freed them. Jonah and his father included." She sighed. "Caleb, Jonah's father, helped to raise Jason and his sister. Jonah has never forgiven him for leaving the army and joining the Confederacy." "Why did he?" Maddie was silent for a while. "Because he's a Virginian. Virginia is his home. And he would not fight against her." She sighed. "General Lee is the same way. Men with too much pride. Too much heritage. Fighting a war they hate for a cause they don't believe in." She turned to face Scully. "Did you know that President Lincoln offered command of ALL the Federal troops to Lee the day Virginia seceded? He turned Lincoln down. He refused to fight 'his country'." She shook her head sadly. "It has gone on for too long, this war. Too long." She turned and walked into the house. Scully looked out into the night, depression hitting her in the gut. The American Civil War had begun in April of 1861, almost a year and a half ago. It would not end until April of 1865. So far away. So far. "Oh, Maddie. You're not even halfway there, yet," she whispered. The worst battles were yet to be fought. Antietam, which was less than a month away. Chancellorsville. Chickamauga. Wilderness. The fall of Atlanta. Of Richmond. Sherman's 'March to the Sea', which would devastate Georgia. And Gettysburg, one of the greatest battles ever to be fought. There was so much more to come. 'How did we do it?' she asked herself. 'How did we survive to become the country we are in 1999? Or is it because of this war that we are they way we are in 1999?' ************************************************************ "It was all my fault; get together, and let us do the best we can toward saving which is left us." Lee to Longstreet after the failed Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg-July 1863 ***** August 28, 1862 Manassas Junction, Virginia Pope finally got a clue. Realizing what was going on behind him, he quickly moved his men toward Manassas Junction. He hoped to surround the Confederates, not really realizing the whole movement was basically a trap. Lee and Longstreet set out to follow and join Jackson. When Pope arrived at the Junction, it was to find...nothing. The farms in close vicinity had been looted, and the supplies at the Junction itself were either gone or destroyed. There were no signs of Jackson. Where were they? Unbeknownst to Pope, the Confederates had moved just a few miles north, almost on the exact spot where the first Battle of Bull Run had taken place. Almost on the Anderson Farm. Scully and Maddie stayed inside, trying as best they could to ignore the army outside their front door. Maddie remembered the first battle that had been fought here, a little more than a year ago. It was what had gotten her daughter Melanie interested in nursing. She recalled how the Federals had been so confident. Rich businessmen and politicians from Washington had even driven out in their carriages to watch their men 'womp the rebels'. By days end, the Federals were running as fast as they could for Washington and safety, as were the spectators. The first major battle had been a tremendous Southern victory, and everybody began to realize this would be no two month war. Around noon, a group of riders appeared in front of the house, one of which was a woman. Scully felt her heart leap when she recognized her and had to hold herself back as Maddie rushed out of the house and into her daughters arms. Melissa. She should have known. Scully looked at the men who had accompanied her. Her smile grew bigger. They looked even sillier in the daylight. "Ma'am," 'Byers' said, nodding to her and touching the brim of his hat. "The Colonel sends his regards." "Oh, he does, does he?" Scully asked, still smiling. Melissa/Melanie turned toward her. "So you are the woman who has Jason all wound up." She stepped up the stairs to shake Scully's hand. "Melanie Collins." "Collins?" Maddie hadn't mentioned a son-in-law. "Collins?!" Maddie exclaimed from behind them. Melanie blushed and turned to her mother. "I'm sorry, Mother. It was kind of hurried. He's a doctor with Jackson's troops. You met him last year, remember?" Maddie stood with her mouth agape for a moment. "When? And why the rush?" "Two weeks ago and..." Her blush deepened. "Oh, Melanie." Maddie's voice sounded disappointed, but was still full of love. "When?" "Mid January, we think." Maddie's mouth was in a tight line. "Do you love him?" "Oh, yes! Yes, I love him." Her mother nodded. "Well, then." She turned to face Melanie's three escorts. "Congratulate me. I'm going to be a grandmother. Again." "Again?" This time it was Melanie's turn to be surprised. "Yes. Todd wrote me last month that he married a girl in Charleston several months ago. Strangely enough, they too had a child quite soon after their marriage. A boy. His name is Justin." She shook her head. "I guess even in war, we still manage to find happiness." Scully had stood silent listening to this exchange, but then her eyes caught sight of a dust cloud coming closer. "Maddie." The three horsemen and the three women all turned to watch the approaching rider. Alfred and Jonah, who had been walking toward the house from the barn stopped in the middle of the yard. "It's Jason," Jonah said. Sure enough, Stanton was riding in what Scully would term a 'hell-bent for leather' fashion toward the house. He thundered up to his men, his big roan lathered with sweat and foaming at the mouth. "Bowers," he shouted before he even brought his horse to a stop. "Take Fraiser and Larson and get back to Stuart. I'll see Mrs. Collins back to the medical tent." "What's wrong, Colonel?" Frohike/Fraiser asked. "Pope has reached Manassas Junction. He hasn't figured out where we are, yet. But he'll find us soon." The three men spurred their horses away. "Jonah!" The big man ran up to Stanton. "Yes, sir?" "Do you have enough ammunition?" "Yes, sir." "Then get your father, and you and Alfred stay in the house with the women. I don't think the fighting will move this way, but we can't take any chances. If you ever feel in danger at all, get them to my house. You know where the cellar is if the artillery gets too close." "Jason," Maddie interrupted. "We've been through this before. We know what to do." "I just want to make sure you're safe." He was looking at Scully as he said it. Melanie gave her mother a quick hug, then mounted her own horse, tucking her skirts around her legs to keep them covered. She glanced at Stanton. "This is going to be bad, isn't it?" He nodded, his jaw hard. "What do you mean, 'bad'?" Scully asked. Suddenly, she didn't want to just sit and wait for something to happen. "Let me help. I'm a doct- I've trained under doctors." Melanie and Maddie were staring at her. Stanton was glaring at her. "Absolutely not!" "What! You'll let a pregnant woman go, but not me?!" "Melanie is used to it. You are not. You couldn't handle it!" Scully felt rage pour through her. And it felt good. "How dare you! You don't know anything about me! None of you do!" She glanced at Maddie as she spoke. "This," she gestured to her clothing, "is not me! Sitting around doing nothing is not me! None of you know the real me!" She stopped, breathing hard. Stanton was wearing that smirk again. "Jason," Maddie said quietly. "She did patch up General Rollins quite well." "Oh, yeah. Thanks for that, by the way," Scully snapped sarcastically. "I needed the practice." "If Pope had gotten hold of those papers, this battle would have happened days ago, when our men were tired and hungry. Wade was warning Pope to not ignore Jackson." He shook his head. "I won't apologize for shooting Rollins." Scully stood staring at him. "Take me with you." He sighed. "Maddie?" "I'll be fine." She looked at Jonah and Alfred. "WE'LL be fine." Another sigh. Then he moved. Scully was more than a little surprised when he backed his horse up to the side of the porch steps and held out his hand to her. "Get on." She glanced one last time at Maddie, then walked up to him, grasping his left arm with her left hand. She swung up behind him on the horse, trying to emulate Melanie and tuck her skirts around her legs. She didn't quite succeed, and her calves remained bared except for the stockings she wore. 'Scandalous,' she thought jokingly to herself. Stanton must have known what she was thinking, because he laughed softly. "Hang on, Mrs. Hale. From here on out, there's no slowing down." The horse jerked forward. She quickly wrapped her arms around the man in front of her, trusting him to maintain control of the now speeding animal. Other than the occasional trail ride when she was little, Scully had never really ridden, and the power of the animal beneath her frightened her. But with that fear came excitement. Very similar, she guessed, to the way she felt about the man in front of her. ************************************************************ "Send us something to eat, Massa Jeff. I'm hungry." Private Sam Watkins to Jeff Davis as he reviewed the Confederate troops-October 1863 ***** August 28, 1862 General "Stonewall" Jackson's Camp Near Manassas Junction, Virginia As it turned out, the Union army lead by Pope didn't find the Confederates that day. Jackson's camp was quiet, the men relaxing as much as they possibly could with a battle in their near future. Scully spent the afternoon and evening following Melanie around. They learned upon their arrival to the camp that Melanie's husband, Sean, had left with several troupers to acquire much needed chloroform, morphine, and other necessary medical items from a local doctor. Scully helped Melanie as she set about tearing up linen sheets. They would later use these strips as bandages. When Sean Collins arrived, Scully felt tears in her eyes. She hadn't seen this young man in years, for in her world, he was already dead. The man she knew as Pendrell had had a huge crush on her, something that Mulder had loved to tease her about. This Pendrell, however, only had eyes for his wife. That evening, the fighting began. Jackson sent some of his now rested troops to attack Union Brigadier General Rufus King's division, and they fought hard until sundown. Scully saw none of the battle, but she heard the artillery in the distance. And she saw the aftereffects of the battle almost immediately. Men began pouring into the medical tent around 5 P.M. Some were standing, most were not. Scully found it hard to overcome the rustic facilities in her attempt to help Sean and the other doctors, and more than once she was on the receiving end of some deadly glares from the other nurses. But within 30 minutes, she had gotten the hang of things. Orderlies, mostly young soldiers who were recovering from injuries of their own, would look at the wounded men and determine how serious their injuries were. The most serious were brought to the first available doctor. The doctors, four in this part of the camp, ran around wildly, determining who would go into surgery and when. Due to the large number of wounded coming in at once, the doctors had no time for long surgeries. What couldn't be saved immediately was cut off. Scully was horrified. Of course she had read about the many amputations, but she had never thought to be amongst them. While the chloroform used to sedate was plentiful, it didn't always knock the patient out completely. Screaming and swearing, from both doctor and patient, was constant. Scully was not allowed into the tent where these 'operations' were performed; she hadn't yet proven she could handle it. She wasn't really sure she could. By dusk, Scully had earned her 'stripes' on the battlefield, meaning she hadn't passed out or become sick once. But the smell of blood, gunpowder, chloroform and sweat was imprinted in her mind forever. As were the screams. She and Melanie helped care for the recovering patients until well past midnight, when Sean ordered them to get some sleep. Scully knew she wouldn't be able to. The image of the pile of legs and arms she had seen outside the surgery was still too clear in her head, as were the many blank eyes of dead and dying men. Lying in the cot next to Melanie in the Collins' tent, Scully did sleep. But her dreams were not pleasant. In these dreams, Colonel Jason Stanton was one of those blank eyed men. Only suddenly, he wasn't Jason, but Mulder. ***** End 4/7