Spring Will Come

by Ginny Dye

  The soft breezes blowing on his face turned his thoughts to Rose. Their baby would be born in another month or so. It ate at his soul not to be able to be there, but it was impossible. Now that spring was here the army was preparing to move. The long winter had passed with extensive refitting and drilling of the demoralized Army of the Potomac. General Burnside had been replaced after his stunning defeat at Fredericksburg. General Joe Hooker had done an incredible job revitalizing and motivating the tattered army. Now, over 100,000 strong, the mighty Army of the Potomac was perched on the banks of the Rappahannock River and waited for the signal to once more advance on Richmond.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

  Carrie leaned against her windowsill and was thankful for the warm breeze bathing her face. Spring had finally come to Richmond. The last major snowfall, a month before, had finally melted. Winter had bowed in submission to the warm southern sun. Trees were clothed in bright green. Crocuses and daffodils waved their heads gaily, rejoicing in their new life.

  “Are you going downtown with your father?” Janie asked, turning away from the mirror after she had tucked the last strand of hair securely in place.

  “Yes. He is determined to buy me a new dress now that winter is over.” Carrie frowned. “It seems so frivolous. I have absolutely no need of a new dress, and they’re so very expensive now.”

  “Your father wants to do something to show his appreciation for all the care you gave him while he was sick.”

  “I know,” Carrie replied. She was so glad to see her father restored to his normal strength. The sickness almost seemed to have done him good. His enforced confinement had granted him more rest than he had gotten since before her mother had died. He was now eager to jump back into the fray. “I’ll go. I’ll find a dress. I’ll even be properly appreciative. But,” she added, “I still don’t think I need one. I have absolutely nowhere to wear something fancy.”

  She jumped up when she heard her father’s footsteps approaching, grabbed a light coat from her wardrobe, and opened the door before he had time to knock.

  “Ready?”

  Carrie tucked her arm in her father’s. “Ready,” she said brightly.

  Thomas stuck his head into the bedroom. “Sure you won’t join us?” he asked Janie.

  “I have some letters I want to take care of,” Janie assured him. “You two go have a good time. You have too little time alone with your daughter.”

  “I won’t argue with that,” Thomas agreed. “Thank you.”

  Broad Street was crowded, but Spencer wove in and out of traffic without a problem. Even spring couldn’t keep the city from looking bedraggled, but the spirit of complete despair seemed to have lifted. Carrie actually saw smiles on the faces of people strolling in the warm sunshine.

  Thomas clapped his hand to his head. “I forgot!” He turned to Carrie. “Do you mind if I slip by the Capitol? I promise it will take just a few minutes. I forgot to sign a document the governor needs this afternoon.”

  “Certainly,” Carrie agreed easily. “I won’t mind sitting in Capitol Square. The flowers should be beautiful right now.”

  The carriage rolled up to the Capitol, and Thomas leapt out. “This should only take ten or fifteen minutes.”

  “Take your time. It’s a beautiful day,” Carrie assured him. “I’m going over to sit on one of the benches. Just call when you’re ready.”

  Carrie had been sitting only a few minutes when a large group of people, mostly women, began to assemble quietly. She watched them curiously. As the group drew closer, one young lady broke away and sank down on the bench beside her.

  “I just can’t stand a moment longer,” she said weakly.

  Carrie gazed at her in sympathy. She was familiar with the thin, pinched cheeks that spoke of hunger. There were still at least two months before gardens would produce food for the hungry. There was still a critical shortage. The girl resting next to her couldn’t be much older than Carrie herself.

  The girl spun to glare at her. “We aren’t going to keep being hungry,” she said angrily.

  “What are you going to do?” Carrie didn’t know what else to say. She didn’t particularly want to get involved in a conversation with this stranger, but she could hardly ignore her.

  “We’re gonna get us some food,” she snapped. She raised her arm to adjust her bonnet. When the sleeve of her threadbare dress fell away from her arm, she held it up almost as a trophy.

  Carrie’s heart sank. The girl’s arm was nothing but skin and bones.

  “Ain’t much left of me. But that’s going to change. This government has already took all our men. My children and me have been hungry all winter. It’s time for the government to take care of their own. Their soldiers aren’t going to have anything to come back to at this rate.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Carrie said sympathetically.

  The girl shrugged. “Maybe you are, and maybe you ain’t. It don’t really matter. We’ve decided to take things into our own hands. The bunch of us has talked about it. They’ll have to listen if we all stick together. We’re here to ask Governor Letcher for some food.” A distant call made her glance up. “Well, looks like this is it.” She stood abruptly.

  “Good luck,” Carrie said sincerely.

  The girl looked back over her shoulder. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  Just as Carrie turned back to look toward the Capitol for her father, she saw a black nanny walking with her little white charge down the square. The nanny was looking down, talking while the little boy laughed excitedly. He broke away to run over and inspect a row of daffodils.

  Suddenly he stopped. “Look, Judy. What are all those women doing?” he piped clearly.

  The nanny looked up and ground to a halt, her face registering her disapproval. Quickly she grabbed his hand and turned around. “We got to get out of here,” she said loudly. “You might catch something from them poor white people,” she sniffed then hurried away.

  Carrie watched sadly as the group of women scowled and muttered. Her heart went out to them. She had seen so much suffering this winter. Without food, there was no end in sight. She watched a cluster of the ladies, obviously the leaders, approach the Capitol and disappear through the doors. Within minutes they walked back out, their faces hard and set. The angry muttering in the crowd grew louder.

  “I’m ready.”

  Carrie started. She had been watching the women so intently she had not even seen her father approach. “Did Governor Letcher help those women?”

  Thomas shrugged. “He was at breakfast. He asked them to come back later when he was in his office. He said he would try to help.”

  Carrie gazed at the group thoughtfully. “I’m not sure that is going to make them feel any better. They appear to be desperate.”

  “There are lots of desperate people in the city right now,” Thomas said grimly. “We’re doing everything we can to help.” He pulled her up from the bench. “And now I think we have a dress to buy.”

  Carrie was even more opposed to buying a dress now, but she knew how set her father was on doing this for her. The idea of buying a dress when hundreds were going hungry sickened her. She followed her father to the carriage reluctantly.

  Spencer urged the horse forward. “Them women are looking for trouble,” he muttered. “We need to get out of here.”

  “Take us to Main Street, please, Spencer,” Thomas ordered crisply.

  Spencer turned down Eighth Street. Carrie watched as the women, yelling angrily to each other, surged down Ninth Street. There was going to be trouble.

  Spencer had just turned onto Main Street, bound for the dress store, when the mob of women erupted onto the road in front of them. Spencer pulled back on the reins hard. The carriage shuddered to a halt.

  Thomas frowned. “Turn the carriage around,” he commanded.

  “I can’t, Mr. Cromwell. We be blocked in.”

  Carrie looked behind them quickly. Spencer was right. Crowds of bystanders, curious to know what was happ
ening, had already surged out onto the streets, completely blocking the road.

  Thomas cursed under his breath.

  “They’re just after food,” Carrie assured her father.

  “That might have been their original plan,” Thomas scowled, “but when people decide to take things into their own hands, things can get out of control.”

  Just then the mob reached the government commissary. Carrie watched, fascinated, as the women pushed their way through the door. Minutes later she could see packages being handed out.

  The alarm bell started ringing from the Capitol, but no one turned away. The yelling and calling grew louder. Her father was right. Whoever had been in charge had lost control of the crowd. Women broke away and began to pour into surrounding shops, grabbing bread, flour, hams, and shoes.

  Bystanders crowding the streets began to move away. “Let’s get out of here,” one called. “Those women are dangerous.”

  “Shut the doors to the shop!” a man called, breaking through the crowds and yelling to a well-dressed man standing in the door of a nearby store. The man rushed forward, pushed the other man inside, and slammed the door.

  Seconds later, the mob was at his door. They pushed at it angrily. “These rich people can’t make us starve any longer,” a woman screamed. Whipping out a hatchet from the bag she carried at her waist, she hurled it through the storefront window. The crowd roared triumphantly as the glass shattered and fell away. “Get what you want, ladies!”

  “Father!” Carrie gasped, suddenly frightened.

  Thomas was already stepping from the carriage. “We’re getting out of here,” he said grimly. “You come with us, Spencer.”

  “But what about the carriage?” Spencer asked anxiously.

  “This mob is taking carriages up and down the street. Until someone takes control, there is no way to stop them. So far they’re not harming anyone, but that could change any minute.”

  The mob continued down the street and began smashing windows and taking whatever they could reach - silks, bonnets, jewelry, tools. They were no longer just searching for food – it seemed they were taking everything in sight. And the mob was no longer just hungry women. Well-dressed men and women had joined the looting. Carrie groaned. What had begun as an orderly demand for food had turned into a full-scale riot. The people of Richmond, frustrated and angered by a war they didn’t understand and a long winter of suffering, were out of control.

  A horse-drawn fire engine appeared at the end of the road. Firemen jumped from the engine. Seconds later great streams of water poured into the crowd, yet it did nothing to dissuade them. The yelling grew louder as the crowd grew angrier. Moments later a contingent of city guardsmen, well-armed, burst around the corner. Holding their guns to the sky, they fired a few warning shots.

  The crowd stopped looting, but the yelling and muttering did not diminish. The guardsmen grouped at the end of the road. The crowd swung to meet them.

  “Surely they won’t shoot the city’s own people!” Carrie cried.

  Thomas shook his head grimly then grabbed her arm. “Here comes the President!”

  Carrie craned her neck to see.

  President Davis stepped up onto a wagon. She could hear little of what he said, but it was obvious he was making an appeal to the crowd. She saw him pull out his watch. Obviously, he had delivered an ultimatum.

  “We ain’t leaving!” one woman near Carrie screamed.

  This time President Davis’ response was loud enough for Carrie to hear.

  “You must go home. I have no wish for the bayonets aimed at you to be used against our citizens. They are here to turn away our invaders. Disorder such as this will only result in famine because the farmers will refuse to deliver food to the city. I will share my last loaf with you,” he called. “It is imperative that we bear our trials with courage and stand united against the enemy. I do not wish to injure anyone, but this lawlessness must stop. I will give you five minutes to disperse, otherwise you will be fired upon,” he called firmly.

  Carrie held her breath, praying the crowd would not invite more violence. The seconds ticked away; the guardsmen raised their rifles to a ready position. President Davis stood tall, holding his watch in front of him. Finally the crowd began to drift away, their angry mutterings still floating on the breeze around them.

  Carrie sagged against her father in relief.

  Thomas scowled, reached into his pocket, and pulled out some bills. He pressed them into her hand. “Please go find you a nice dress. Spencer can drive you. I’m sorry I can’t go with you, but I’m sure things are in an uproar at the Capitol because of this. I won’t be able to join you.”

  Carrie handed the money back to her father. “I don’t need a new dress,” she said firmly. “I was merely buying one for you. I just can’t do it after watching all those suffering people.”

  “Most of those suffering people were common looters wanting to steal whatever they could get their hands on,” Thomas snapped.

  Carrie shook her head. “I saw those women when they were assembling in the square. They were just after food. I know things got out of control, but the people in this city are stretched to their limits.”

  “Everyone is stretched to their limits.”

  “You’re right,” Carrie said calmly. “But I think it is probably harder to be stretched to your limit by something you had nothing to do with starting in the first place. I imagine it’s hard to tell crying children they are starving for the honor of the glorious South.”

  Thomas sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” He hesitated then shoved the money into her hand. “Here. Take it and use it to buy something for the black hospital. I imagine you can think of something you need.”

  “Now, that I can get excited about,” Carrie grinned. She accepted the money willingly. “Thank you. There are many needed things I can buy with this.”

  She watched her father stride down the street toward the Capitol; then she turned to Spencer. “We have some errands to do.”

  The morning passed quickly. She bought the supplies needed at the black hospital, returned home, and dressed for her afternoon shift at Chimborazo. Carrie sank down onto her windowsill and stared out. She needed some time to think before she went to the hospital. She shuddered as she remembered the looks of desperation on those women’s faces. Spring had indeed come, but what would it take to heal the ravages of the past winter?

  The residents of Richmond had endured bitter cold, deep snows, starvation, a smallpox epidemic, the explosion at the Armory, and increased lawlessness. Spring was certain to bring renewed efforts by the Union to take the city. The last Carrie that had heard the Union army was still camped across the Rappahannock River. When would they begin to move?

  Memories of Robert rushed into her mind. She could see him so clearly - smiling down at her, asking her to marry him, promising to come back soon. Carrie took a deep breath and brushed away her tears. The hurt had not diminished over the months, but she had learned to quit running from it. “I still love you, Robert,” she whispered to the wind.

  Carrie finished her shift at the hospital and stepped outside. She welcomed the shorter days in the cramped buildings. Now that it was warmer, the windows were left open, but still she longed to be outside. The battles would start again soon. Before long, the buildings would once more be crammed with wounded, dying men. For today, she just wanted to enjoy the wonder of spring.

  Carrie walked over to the edge of one of the clearings and sank down on a rock. Cupping her chin in her hand, she stared down at the river. It was once again flowing freely. The thick ice that had imprisoned it all winter had melted before the warm winds. Carrie smiled as the water crashed around the boulders; the rapids of the James River shot spray into the air that caught the sun then fell in a shower of colors. A soft breeze loosened her hair from its bun, ringlets framing her face. Carrie turned her face to the sun to soak in its glorious rays. One could almost believe there was no trouble in the world on such
a beautiful day.

  The clatter of hoof beats grabbed her attention. She turned just in time to see a horse cantering up the road to the hospital. The shadows under the trees were too dark to see anything. Carrie shrugged and turned back to her view. She refused to let anything disturb her peace today. There were plenty of people in the hospital who could take care of any emergency that might arise.

  Carrie wasn’t sure what made her turn around several minutes later. Her heart had whispered something she couldn’t decipher. Several yards away a tall figure stood quietly, watching her.

  Carrie gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Her heart skipped a beat then raced back into motion. “Robert?” she whispered disbelievingly. Her heart and mind refused to accept what her eyes were seeing.

  Robert took several quick strides and stood in front of her. “You were so beautiful sitting in the sun. Just the way I remembered you for so long. I just wanted to watch.” His deep voice trembled with emotion.

  “Robert?” Carrie reached out her hand tentatively to touch his cheek. “Is it really you?” This had to be a dream.

  Robert suddenly threw back his head and laughed. “It’s me,” he called loudly to the birds flying overhead. “I’m home!”

  Carrie’s disbelief suddenly changed to heavenly joy. “Robert! It’s you! It’s really you! You’re alive!” she cried. Tears rolled down her cheeks as her laughter rang out to match his. “You’re home!” she cried.

  Robert grabbed her in his arms and began to dance around the clearing. Picking her up, he spun her in great circles. Finally he set her down then folded her into his arms. “I’m home,” he whispered, just before he lowered his head to claim her lips.