The Battle of Barlow
A Civil War fiction about motherhood
Author’s Note:
What follows is a work of fiction. I modeled Virginia and her children on my wife and kids. Everything else is a product of my imagination, and resemblances to persons, places, or things—living or dead—is pure coincidence. So don’t sue me.
The Battle of Barlow
May 12, 1863
Barlow, Pennsylvania
She had just finished putting away the spinning tops and cast-iron jacks scattered about the floor. The kids were finally asleep. The water pump creaked in the yard.
Then she heard a distant crack, much like a large branch falling from a great height. A few seconds later, a ten-pound ball of iron exploded through the living room wall, instantly filling the air and her linen clothing with wooden splinters.
She covered her eyes and fell to the floor. The house itself seemed to exhale from the blow. It slouched ever so slightly to the side.