As rashly promised - a stirring speech - used an excuse to write some purple prose!!
Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon awoke just before dawn. Pulling on his blue serge coat he emerged from his tent to be greeted by the pleasant aroma of brewing coffee. Pausing only to dip his cup in the billy can which served as a makeshift coffeepot, he strode through the lines of troops mostly still asleep in the hastily built defences that had been prepared during the night. He afforded himself a brief smile, his men had done well. To his professional military eye, these trenches would serve his men well during the day. They needed all the help they could get. The reports estimated the rebel forces as twice his with a significant advantage in cavalry. But the fate of Missouri was in his hands.
As he walked down the front face of the hill, briefly pausing to swig the bitter coffee, the first weak shafts of the dawn sunshine broke across the valley. A mist hung over Wilson’s Creek, suggesting a hint of foreboding amongst the beauty of a summer’s morning. On the opposite hill, the embers of camp fires, the smell of cooking food and the background noises of a military camp waking up betrayed the position of the rebels. Soon the peace and quiet of this blissful scene would be shattered by the turmoil and chaos of war – a civil war, brother vs, brother. Nathaniel stroked his beard as he contemplated the events to come, his resolve grew in his chest - his cause was just, their day had come. His train of thought was broken by the chatter of the men nearby. An older man was reassuring a youngster about the battle to come. Nathaniel looked closer at the men around him, they looked nervous, but determined – a pride was bubbling up inside them but fear of the unknown was not far away. He realised their lives were in his hands – it was up to him to ignite the flame in them that already burnt in him.
Looking around, he noticed a small tree stump roughly in the middle of his positions. He strode over to it and jumped up. His strong voice, still tinted with his Connecticut accent, boomed over his troops as he addressed them.
“Men of the Union Army of the West, my fellow Missourians and our friends from Iowa and Kansas, today we meet our day of destiny. Today we meet the rebels on the field of battle to ensure that the State of Missouri stays within the Union and does not slip into that state of anarchy and evil that is the Confederacy. Our cause is just. These upstarts not only wish to subject our fellow man to slavery, they wish to force you good, God fearing men into spreading their evil doctrine. This shall not be!!”
He paused as a cheer rippled through the lines of troops, now eagerly following his words. As silence returned, he continued.
“Now for many of you this is your first taste of battle. You will be concerned, nay frightened about the possible events of the day. To this I say, be not a feared. We have the shield of a just cause to protect us. May God be our witness that, as our cause is just, so must we preserver. We face an enemy who has more men than us, but I pity them… because each one of you is worth 10 of them, so in God’s eyes we will prevail.”
Again a roar swelled through the ranks of troops. This time more guttural, more determined.
“I want to share with you some words of John Brown, spoken during his trial. He said” Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of my children and with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I submit; so let it be done!" With these last words a roar started to grow across the camp. This time Nathaniel continued, his voice rising to a crescendo with the waves of naked enthusiasm that swept around him:
“Today is our day to be remembered for ever. These ragged rebels are coming soon. Don’t forget to give a true Missouri welcome. When they come boys, give ‘em hell!!! “
Now if that doesn't turn the battle our way, I do not know what will!!
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