The cool morning mist had not yet lifted. The heavy fog of morning gave one the sensation of floating, rather than walking. As I ambled through it, there was a sensation of a time warp. The surrounding forest approached surreal; something out of a sci-fi script. My mind wandered and I imagined this stretch of the Appalachian Trail as it was almost a hundred and fifty years previously during the Civil War.
A rebel unit was hiding in the underbrush, just off to the right. One young lad was lying very still, frozen with both fear and the sense that any movement might announce his position. Mosquitoes busily worked his skin but he dared not flick them away. The moss near his nostrils had that moist, yet distinctive odor that confirmed he was on some very damp ground. He tried to ignore all around him and just focus on the trail in front of him.
Approaching on the trail a small unit of Union soldiers worked their way up the hill. They had set out before dawn, not certain of their objective, but very aware that this was enemy territory. In spite of that awareness, they had not encountered any resistance in some days and they were hopeful that this day would play out the same way. They were warriors, but warriors by no means look forward to sudden death.
One soldier pondered his canteen. As he gazed at the cap he imagined it a tankard of his favorite brew. True, it was very early in the day, but with the miles already covered, his thirst for a savory brew was compelling. As if the unit leader sensed his desire, the order came down to break for a few minutes. As mosquitoes circled he removed the cover from the canteen and started to drink with gusto and imagined it to be that brew.
At that very moment there was a distant flash, and then a fusillade of light and thunder let loose and in that moment the soldier’s short life came to an end. The remaining Union soldiers replied in a rage of fire. Two opposing armies, strangers to each other, now committed their very existence to killing each other.
In the ensuing moments young lives were snuffed out. The body where once mosquitoes feasted would no longer respond to their sting. The forest fell silent and I descended into that forest alone with my thoughts and the ghosts that still haunt the trail.