The Savannah Siege IV

We started retreating; I ran beside the men, I had no idea where my unit was by now. The bullets continued ever as we fled the scene of our defeat. Around the walls of the forts we had left the ditches chocked with the bodies of our comrades. I wondered how many of them were dead, how many of them were dying, and how many of them could be saved if we were able, but we weren’t.

Once we were well away we were called up into our units again, I found mine among the rest. A roll was called and a painful roll it was too. Not one unit didn’t have its losses and every name that went unanswered caused another pang in everyman’s heart. I heard a man standing near me comment that the whole affair had taken less then an hour, I couldn’t believe it but looking at the sun I realized he was speaking the truth.

After the painful duty of roll call was completed a new unpleasantness awaited us, a truce had been called and we were told to collect our bodies and wounded in that time. More then once in that time did I feel ill as I was called to carry the mangled remains of what had been men. The living ones were worse because most of them knew they were going to die and so did everyone else. My first battle field is something of nightmares to me even now.

Things had been tense before and now everything was ruined. When we returned to our siege there wasn’t a man among us who still had the heart for it. It was known even among the common soldiers like me and the unit I was with that our leaders were starting to fall out with one another. All of the men I heard complained about the Americans. Most of them said that we shouldn’t have been fighting this battle at all, that it had nothing for France in it. I was young still and so I wasn’t thinking about France so much even, I was thinking more of myself. I had joined the army after all to gain my freedom, having done that I didn’t see that any war really was of any benefit to me. I grew greatly homesick the next couple of days.

My wish was granted, D’Estaing got fed up with the Americans and decided to leave that cursed coast. Since I was under him, though as nothing but a drummer boy, I was also allowed to leave the American shore. I was crowded with many other men in my same position on a ship bound for the West Indies and home.

So now you write to me and ask me to join you in your cause to free this island from the unjust slavery that plagues us. You say it is time for Haiti to rise in Revolution just as America did. I agree with your cause with all of my heart and I will be praying for your success at every moment. However my military career that you mentioned in your letter as being so important is the one I just laid out for you. Unlike the unit that you were with in the American Revolution mine only suffered defeat in an inglorious fashion. I had all I could stomach of revolution long ago at that young age and therefore will never take place in another. I will stay in touch with you and send you any information that falls to my ears that will be of interest to you. In fighting however I will have no part.