Sevierville Sam’s Solace or Tennessee Twin’s Tenacity

Sevierville Sam’s Solace, turned out to be his big Tennessee Twin cousins and the mysterious Tenacity they exhibited in battle. You’ve heard of Sevierville Sam and his smaller cousin, their enlistment in the Union Army, battles fought, friends, kin and neighbors killed, wounded or captured or just fed up and went home, following Uncle Billy from Tennessee into Georgia and eventually Big Sam had sent his smaller cousin home to his mother, to be buried in the Smoky Mountains.

Sevierville Sam’s  big twin cousins, Isaac and Asa, had lit out for home after Shiloh, but after burying their smaller cousin, they developed a plan to join Sam and seek retribution for the loss of their blood-kin. The Smoky Mountain Twins had found a friend on their search for Sam, a long-eared, four-legged companion, they called Ben. He was a fine-looking beast, that didn’t mind being ridden, once in a while, although Isaac and Asa were just two big, to both be carried, by even the sturdiest of mules.

The joyful reunion of the big Tennessee mountain cousins was short-lived, Uncle Billy was attempting to corner Confederate General Joe Johnston in the hills around Resaca, Georgia and the rebel commander planned to make a fight of it. The Big’uns, as their comrades called them, loaded extra ammunition on Ben’s back and the cousins and their Smokey brethren took a position off to the left of the line, on a slight rise. This elevation enabled Sevierville Sam and the boys to observe the Dixie Boy’s entrenchments and pin point targets of opportunity when the ball commenced.

It was a beautiful spring day in Northern Georgia, not too hot, flowers in full bloom, but no varmints were visible and not a bird on wing or singing. It was spooky silent as the landscape exploded and when the dust cleared, Big Sam and the Twins picked their targets carefully and the rest of the Tennessee Mountain boys wrecked a fiery havoc on the rebel line. The routine had become almost common place, find a target, hold, breathe, and squeeze, find another target and continue the ritual, until the musket became to hot to hold in your hands. Take a draw on the canteen, wipe your face, run your blackened fingers through your hair, pick up the long gun and begin again.

The Union troopers had assaulted the Confederate entrenchments several times and each run across that field had left a carpet of wounded and dying in the grass. The Dixie Boys were sure making a stand and didn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. Sevierville Sam and the boys were plum tuckered and as the day waned, they were nodding off on the rise in the tall grass. The Mountain Medicine made its way among the boys and just as the Twins were taking their draw, the long-eared companion, down in the draw, alerted them that they had unexpected company. It was a young General on horseback. The Tennessee Mountain boys referred to any officer riding a horse, as General, not to be disrespectful, it just seemed to be the thing to do.

Because of Sam’s size, these Generals always addressed Sam with orders and instructions. Uncle Billy wanted Sam and the clan to cross the river and attack General Johnston’s railroad supply line, at first light. The Tennessee Mountain boys enjoyed another draw off the jug, hunkered down and drifted off into a fitful slumber in order to prepare for the who knew what of the following day.

Day break found Sevierville Sam, the Tennessee Twins and the rest of the boys and the long-eared Ben, moving along the draw towards the Oostanaula River. All were surprised to view a pontoon bridge that had been thrown across the watery expanse. Most were relieved, because few could swim. Apparently this move towards the supply line, spooked the Dixie Boys, because they fled their entrenchments and beat a hasty retreat.

After crossing the pontoons, the Smoky Mountain clan flopped down in the dust and most fell immediately asleep. Big Sam, the Tennessee Twins and Ben had other ideas. They all had a mighty hunger and decided to explore the local farms for vittles and forage. They soon came upon a small cabin and on the porch sat an ancient woman, in a rocker smoking a long-stemmed pipe. There were chickens in the yard, two hogs in a wallow, three of Ben’s type in a corral and a barn that looked chock full of all sorts of surprises.

The ancient woman reminded Sevierville Sam of his Smoky Mountain grandma and all Big Sam could blurt out was…hey. The ancient one in the rocker drawled, you boys look starved, come in and set a spell, I’ll fix you a fine supper and put that long-eared beast in the pen with the others. The Tennessee mountain trio were told to wash up in the trough and were invited into the cabin. The Georgia Grandma set them at the table and all three had the fidgets, not knowing what to expect or how to act. The old gal was everywhere at once, cutting ham, frying up pan bread, scooping out peas, slathering out the beans, had her own version of Mountain Medicine, which she poured sparingly, then she sat down and quietly said, now let’s thank the Lord for what he has given us.

Sevierville Sam and the Tennessee Twins smiled at one another and breathed a sigh of relief. It was as if they were back in their Smoky Mountain home, far from the nightmares of battle and death. Even their long-eared, four-legged friend Ben was content in the pen, eating with critters of his own kind. The ancient, pipe smoking, porch sitting, grandma, explained how her men folk had all been killed, brought home to be buried out back, how sad and lonely she had been and was so pleased to have men sitting at her table again, hungry and enjoying her cooking. The boys were powerful hungry and ate as fast as they could and kept on woofing down until they just plumb wore themselves out and couldn’t swallow another morsel.

Grandma just smiled a toothless grin and told her new Tennessee Mountain family that she would load Ben up with hams, chickens, corn bread, molasses and give the boys a jug or three of her own special Georgia Brew, wished them good luck and hoped they would come back soon and say ….hey.

Sevierville Sam found some Solace with the Georgia Grandma, the Tennessee Twin’s Tenacity found a modicum of peace and as the Smoky Mountain cousins looked back they saw the ancient woman sit down on the porch in her rocker and contentedly light her long-stemmed pipe.

Bummer