Complications of War

Shortly before dusk that evening, Benjamin Martin and his three oldest sons finally arrived home, warily emerging from the forest near the back part of their property.

“Father, look!” Gabriel pointed to the remains of the still smoldering outbuildings Looking down, he saw dozens of hoof prints leading to the burned structures. “The Green Dragoons must have come back!”

“The children!” Ben Martin took off at a dead run toward the ruins of the house, with his sons trailing behind him. When he got to the house a few moments later, he was puzzled and anxious when the children did not come to greet him. Leaning against a tree to catch his breath, he glanced in every direction as he called out their names. His eyes fell briefly on Thomas’ body, which was still on the ground where he’d died.

“Papa!”

Ben whirled around to see his two youngest children running to him. Getting down on one knee, he opened his arms to hug them. He was surprised when they attached themselves to him like leeches and would not let go. Looking down into their faces, his heart skipped a beat when he saw that they both were crying.

“Where are your sisters?” Ben was alarmed; there was still no sign of either Caroline or Margaret. Disengaging himself gently from the children, he stood up.

“Caroline! Margaret!”

“Father!” Margaret popped her head up from the far side of the porch steps. “We’re over here,” she said in a weary voice.

Ben could tell he the tone of her voice that something was wrong. As he walked over to where Margaret now stood, he saw Caroline huddled on the ground next to the steps. She was wrapped in an unfamiliar blanket, shivering despite the moderate temperature.

“Caroline…”

She looked up slowly at her father, her eyes puffy and tearstained. A fresh bruise was purpling one side of her cheek.

Rushing to her side, he demanded, “What happened?

“Oh, Papa!” The young woman burst into tears as she reached out for him. “It was s-so awful!”

As Ben gathered her into his arms, she broke down into wracking sobs. The blanket fell away and he could see bite marks trailing down her neck down into her torn bodice.”

Looking over at Margaret, who was standing behind her sister, he asked her in a low voice, “What happened here? Who did this?”

“Green Dragoons,” Margaret said. “They came back.” Wiping a tear from her eye, she gulped, then continued, “That same man who killed Thomas -- he did this. He f-forced her to….” Her voice trailed off. Tears started rolling from her eyes as she recalled seeing her sister raped and not being able to do anything to stop it.

By this time Gabriel had come to stand next to Margaret. He exchanged a horrified glance with Ben, his hands clenching and unclenching in rage.

“It’s all right now, Caroline,” Ben crooned as he rocked her back and forth in his , hi, his lip quivering. “You’re safe now. No one is going to hurt you any more.”

As Ben rocked Caroline, Gabriel looked intently at the blanket around her shoulders. “That’s definitely a dragoon blanket…”

“He got it off his horse…after….then he came back and covered Caroline with it before he left,” Margaret explained. “It was like he was sorry or something.”

“It doesn’t matter why!” Gabriel exclaimed. “I’m going to kill the bastard with my bare hands.”

“We’ll deal with him, I promise you,” Ben said quietly. “But not now.” Indicating Thomas’ body, he continued, “We have to bury your brother. And then we need to get the children to your Aunt Charlotte’s. Caroline needs to be taken care of by a woman right now.”

“I guess you’re right,” Gabriel said. “But I feel so useless just standing here doing nothing.”

“I understand,” his father said. “But first things first. And you are doing something just by being here for your family.” Looking again at Thomas, he said, “Let’s go to what’s left of the barn and see if we can find something to dig a grave with.”

Two hours later, the Martin family stood in the family cemetery paying their last respects to Thomas Martin. Caroline, still wrapped in Tavington’s blanket, leaned heavily against a tree, quietly supported by her father.

“….May God grant that Thomas’ death was not in vain,” Gabriel said in closing, “And grant him eternal rest and peace. Amen.”

Caroline cried softly as each Martin in turn threw a handful of dirt into Thomas’ open grave. Ben quietly led her away, knowing she’d had almost more than she could bear in one day. The other children followed, but Gabriel stayed behind to attend to the sad task of filling in the grave.

After spending a largely sleepless night huddled together near the ruins of the house, the Martin family left for Charlotte Selton’s plantation early the next morning in a wagon borrowed from a neighboring farm. Benjamin Martin would not be able to rest until he had made sure his family was safe. Only then would he be able to go after the vicious enemy officer who had nearly destroyed his family.