| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| SgtMunro |
Posted - February 01 2004 : 5:55:24 PM
“A Warm Engagement” by Sgt. Munro
Near The Braddock Military Road, One Half Mile East of ‘Blunder Camp’
02 November 1763 / 0430 Hours
The hours before dawn are always the coldest, and on this November morning it was almost unbearable. In the fading glow of the departing moon, the reflective glistening of frost gives the forest an almost enchanted aura. Sergeant Munro and his men have been in position, as per the Lieutenant’s orders, for almost two hours. The men were grouped in pairs, so that after the initial volley, the men would fight ‘Light Infantry Style’. That is to say, each pair would constitute a fire team; one man would shoot then reload while the second man provided cover with a loaded weapon. Once the first man was reloaded, he would shout “Ready”, and that would be the signal for the second man to pick and engage his target.
Each man of Corporal MacIntyre’s Squad had a partner, Sergeant Munro who was ‘odd man out’, would supervise the soldiers and provide rear cover with his blunderbuss. The Lieutenant of Scouts chose his own ground, and would act independently, but in conjunction with the soldiers. Their orders were kept simple; no one was to engage the enemy until the Lieutenant fired first.
“God, this is painful.” Duncan thought to himself, trying not to tremble the least bit, for fear that any movement would betray the position of his men.
It was after 5 o’clock in the morning when the first visible guest to the ambuscade walked past the soldier’s position. A heard of Whitetail Deer, one buck and six of his ladies casually strolled through the defile. Duncan admired these creatures, much larger and more graceful than the stag, native to his highland home.
“Such a lovely land, full of possibility and new beginnings.” Duncan mused to himself, “ A good place to make a home and raise a family.” Allowing his thoughts to turn to that of his lovely Eliza. There has been talk of allotting grants of lands to retired and separated soldiers as a reward for faithful service to the King. Duncan has already served over twenty years as one of the King’s Men, within a couple of years he would be eligible to retire from active service. During their eight years of marriage, Eliza has always been the dutiful wife; she has always stood with her man, regardless of where the King sent him. Duncan felt that she had endured far too many years of hardship, and that retirement would reward them both.
Duncan found himself thinking back to when he and Eliza first met. It was 1749, while he was home on leave to attend his Uncle Sir Robert’s funeral. It was in the marketplace, where he had first seen her. Her long scarlet braids, soft ivory skin and green/gold cat-like eyes were enough to bewitch any man. At first; Eliza paid no attention to the young, newly promoted corporal of the Black Watch. However, his persistence eventually paid off, and after a courtship of more than five years, they wed.
It was just before 6 o’clock, when movement in the distance caught Sergeant Munro’s attention. He could see them, two warriors, about 100 yards away and closing cautiously, off of the game trail. Obviously this was just the advance guard; the main body of the war party would be at least a quarter of a mile behind these two. Using hand signals, Duncan gave the order ‘Make Ready’ and waited for the Lieutenant to fire his rifle first.
The Lieutenant of Scouts had something else in mind, grounding his rifle he then drew his tomahawk and knife. The warriors walked past where the soldiers were hidden, and it appeared that they sensed something was wrong. Unable to see anything in the pre-dawn light, they continued on. Passing the point where the Lieutenant was starting to rise to his knees, and taking aim with his tomahawk.
The warrior closest to the scout stopped and was turning to signal the second warrior, who was no more than ten feet away, when he seen the |
|
![The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]](images/wwwboard.gif "The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]")
