The Drummer Boy

January 1861

January 1861

It was a cold winter evening. The fire was kept blazing in the hearth the entire day. Mother and Jenny, my older sister, had been

cleaning our small cabin, sweeping the wooden floors and cooking rabbit stew with onions, my favorite. Damian and I, however, had

been collecting firewood out in the woods so that we would have enough wood to last us throughout the rest of the winter. Father had

gone to work early in the morning. He had told Mother that he wouldn't be back until dinnertime.

It was now time for dinner, and we were all sitting at the table, waiting for Father to return home from work. It was getting darker by

the second, and our dinner was getting cold. My stomach grumbled. I was getting hungry, and I could tell that the rest of my family

was too. What was keeping Father? Did he have to work longer than expected? Had something gone wrong?

Damian, my older brother, voiced my thoughts. "Mother, what's keeping Father? Does he have to work longer, or has something gone

wrong?" Jenny looked frightened. She was certainly thinking of all the things that could have happened to Father, and they were all

bad, I could tell from the look on her face.

Jenny needn't have worried, though, for Father came bursting through the cabin door just then. Jenny squealed, "Father!" and ran

into his outstretched arms, hugging him tightly. "Careful, Jenny! Don't squeeze the life out of me! You're acting as if you thought I was

dead!" I said under my breath, "She did, Father."

Thankfully, no one heard me. They were all looking to Father for answers. Father raised his hands. "Don't look at me that way, Mary.

We were all waiting for the news." One of Mother's eyebrows was raised. "What news, Daniel?" "The news of who had been elected

President of the United States!" Mother looked excited. "Well, who was elected?" "Abraham Lincoln, or should I call him President

Abraham Lincoln?"

Mother looked surprised. "But how did he become President? The odds were against him!" Father shrugged. "Let's talk about this after

we eat this rabbit stew." Father sat down and picked up his spoon. Mother smacked his hand. "Daniel, we have to say Grace first!"

Mother scolded.

Father nodded. "You're correct, as usual." Father put down his spoon and held my hand in one hand and Jenny's in the other, Jenny

held Damian's hand while Damian held Mother's hand. Mother took my hand and Father said Grace. "Bless us, O Lord, and these, Thy

gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen." We all let go and made the sign of the cross.

"Now we may eat." As we ate, Mother and Father spoke about the newly elected President. "Daniel, I have a bad feeling about this.

What if a war is started against our own country? President Lincoln is against slavery, while the South is for slavery. There's bound to

be some disagreements, and those disagreements may start a war!" Father just laughed. "I have a good feeling about President

Lincoln! Anyone who's against slavery is a friend of mine!" Mother sighed. "Daniel, listen to reason for once in your life! If a war is

started, then our children will have to go through all the bloodshed and pain and sorrow, and they won't be safe!"

Father replied, "I know that, Mary. But still, they'll be able to fight for a good cause!" Mother stared at Father. She said angrily, "Jenny

cannot fight, for she is a girl. Damian can fight, but I won't allow it. John is too young! And you're not going off to war so I can be a

widow!" Their argument went on like that for a while. Eventually, I left the table and left the room. I didn't like bloodshed or war. It

sounded terrible to me!

It must have sounded terrible for Jenny as well, for she came walking in soon after. She sat down on the floor next to me and asked,

"John, what do you think about all this?" I didn't answer. "John?" I said quietly, "I don't know. I don't like talk of war and bloodshed!

If a war is started by President Lincoln, then it was a bad idea to have elected him as president!" Jenny winced. "John, if he starts a

war, it'll be for a good cause! He's against slavery, and he'll start a war to end it if he has to! That's what I admire about him. He

doesn't talk about change! He doesn't wait around for someone else to change the world. He just goes out and changes the world

himself!"

I didn't agree with Jenny. If President Lincoln started a war, then so many innocent people would be killed! There would be bloodshed

and disease! War is a terrible thing, even if it's for a good cause! Mankind should end war, or war will end mankind! Mother says that

all the time, and I must say, I agree with her. Those words are true! If we don't put an end to war, then we'll kill each other off! Soon,

there'll be no one left!

But then again, Jenny did have a point, even if I didn't agree with her. If a war is started, then it will be for a good cause. President

Lincoln wouldn't force people to join the battle! People would join of their own free will. And if President Lincoln succeeds, then there

will be no more slavery in our country, and everyone would be treated as equals!

My thoughts were mixed together. It all confused me so much, confound it all! I needed to get some rest. I lay down on the cold, hard

ground, putting my head down on Jenny's lap. Jenny didn't move my head from her lap, and that's what I liked about her. She let you

do whatever you wanted, as long as it wasn't wrong, and putting my head down on her lap was most certainly not wrong!

I closed my eyes, exhausted from all the work I did today. I felt Jenny move around for a moment, and then a blanket was placed over

my small, thin body. I smiled and let sleep take over.

If I had known what would happen while I was asleep, then I would never have slept that night. I would have been able to save them

from their terrible fate.