Who Is John Bledsoe?

I awoke in a bright sunlit room. The window was open to the outside breeze and I could hear voices coming from the yard. My body ached, and I was thirsty. Looking around the room I could see that it was meagerly furnished, a bed, a wash basin and mirror, a chifforobe, and a chair against the far wall. My head felt like it wanted to explode. As I attempted to sit up in bed I became violently nauseous and immediately fell back onto my pillow and lost consciousness. When I next awoke, the room was dark, as night had come. I closed my eyes once again and slept until the following day.

A knock on the door startled me and without warning the door swung open. An attractive middle aged woman carrying a water pitcher approached me. “You’ve slept for two days soldier boy,” she said. “We didn’t think you would make it through the night, but I’ve been wrong about these things before." “Who are you, where am I, how did I…?” I couldn’t finish my words, so I closed my eyes as she began to speak.

"My name is Dorothy Hazard. This is my home, what's left of it. You were wounded on the battlefield, the one at Shiloh. Our farm help found you wandering in a daze over by Owl creek. I suppose with that gash to your head the confederate soldiers took you for dead. You must have come to and started walking. That’s when Benjamine found you and brought you here. We never took care of a Yankee soldier before, but all life is sacred in these parts of Tennessee. You’re lucky soldier, word is that one of our confederate generals, General Albert Sydney Johnston, was killed the first day of the fighting. If word gets around that we are keeping you here, you’ll be shot. I'm sorry I didn't get your name." As my memory slowly started coming back, I replied “John Bledsoe, Corporal John Bledsoe, 77th Ohio infantry ma’am.” As she offered me a drink of water I heard her say, “You get your rest, and we’ll talk later.” With that I closed my eyes and slept once again.

I was awakened by the sound of a child’s voice. “Yankees killed my daddy”, a little boy said as he stood by the head of the bed and looked at me with empty brown eyes. “Mama said you’re a Yankee soldier. Is that so? Are you a Yankee? Because if you are I hate you. When I turn twelve I’m goin' to join up with the Tennessee boys and shoot all of you.” With that the young boy turned and left the room. I never got his name. I only knew there were people in the house that didn’t want me here.

As the day turned into late afternoon, I got up to my feet and walked over to the wash basin in the room. As I gazed into the mirror above the basin I saw a deep laceration to my scalp above my left ear. It had been bandaged loosely, probably by Mrs. Hazard. The dressing was now completely off the wound and was covered with dried blood. I recall being in a gun battle with opposing confederate troops, then all went dark. I imagine I took a glancing blow or a grazing shot to my head during the first day of the battle. I knew I was lucky to be alive. I thought about my family and my home back in Ohio, and that gave me strength to survive whatever misfortune would come my way.

Another knock on the door sounded and before I could respond an attractive young girl entered the room. “Mama told me that you were feeling better today and that I should bring you something to eat. Are you hungry? It’s not much, but I made it for supper. I hope you like grits and eggs.” I was starving, although grits I didn’t know about. It didn’t matter, I was famished. “My name is Louisa”, she said. “Louisa May Hazard. I already know your name Mr. Bledsoe, I mean Corporal Bledsoe.” Louisa smelled of lavender water, her red hair pulled back with a bow, her green eyes sparkled and her skin was that of alabaster. She was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. Louisa's charm and beauty made my heart beat as fast as when I had faced the confederates a few days earlier. Maybe someday I would be lucky enough to find a girl as beautiful as Louisa to settle down with in Ohio.

All of a sudden a sharp pain shot through my side, then another. “Wake up, wake up Jon! You slept through the alarm clock again. You’re going to be late for work if you don’t hurry and get dressed!" I opened my eyes to see my wife leaning over me with a frustrated look in her eyes. “I had that dream again, the dream about John Bledsoe and the civil war. I wish I knew what it meant. Be a dear and fix me a cup of coffee, I’ve got to get to the office.” As I lifted my head from the pillow I thought I briefly smelled the scent of lavender wafting through the air.


Methinks I've been Shot

Bows and hearts were made to be broken
Cupid has flown and left me a token
An arrow he shot upon my behest
The taste of an Angel pierced through my frail chest

The shaft of the arrow so deep did it drive
I felt so much love when it finally arrived
My prayer has been answered, my wound will be cleansed
I’m much more for knowing you, Louisa, my friend