Bobbie Lee's Adventure

by Roxy

The Page family is living a peaceful life in April of 1861. Their large farm is near the Shenandoah River and the small quiet town of Appleville, Virginia. In town there is much talk of war and secession from the Union. After school is out the boys run yelling rebel crys into the woods to play war. They shoot each other with sticks and broken fishing poles and take prisoners of war to the schoolhouse's old abandoned woodshed until they have to get home to do chores.

The Page family's twin sons, William and Yancey, who are fourteen years old can never stay too long to play war because they have to take their younger sisters, Bobbie Lee, Courtney-Ann, and Mary Beth home on the long walk to the farm. It is the 13 year old Bobbie Lee's duty to make sure they all come home together.

Bobbie Lee is a very pretty girl. Her odd name comes from her Papa's childhood friend and classmate at West Point, Robert E. Lee. Bobbie Lee would like to stay and play war but knows her responsibility is to get home and help Mama with the chores. When Bobbie Lee is free from her chores she is usually playing with her twin brothers because she is a tomboy at heart. She likes to ride her horse, Scout, and take the family's pet beagle, Dixie, with her every place she goes. Bobbie Lee always wears a pink ribbon in her waist length blonde hair.

Bobbie Lee and her favorite brother, Yancey, are the only children that have hair the same color as their Pa's but all the Page children have Mama's green eyes. Yancy feels very strongly about the southern cause and secession but doesn't talk about it much at home because Mama gets angry when she hears him talking about it. Mama also gets mad at Yancey because he plays jokes every chance he gets. Once when he put ink into his sister's tea pot and Mama drank a cup and couldn't go visiting for a month. That time she made Papa take Yancey to the woodshed.

Part 2

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It was a quiet Sunday morning on April 13 in Appleville. The main road through the little town was empty. A hound dog was sleeping on a front proch and an old tomcat was going through a barrel of trash in front of a house. There were a few horses and buggies tied up to the post outside the little church. The heavy wooden door of the church opened and the people came outdoors into the sunshine. The adults stood around chatting and some of the boys were climbing the trees in the churchyard.

Down the road a man on horseback came galloping through town yelling "The war is on!". The hound dog was up and barking. The old tom cat had fallen into the trash barrel. All of the people were in a buzz of chatter and excitement. The boys dropped from the trees and started shooting at each other with stick guns pretending some of the younger boys were Yankees. The mothers had to catch their sons and try to quiet them. The fathers wanted to get their families home quickly so decisions could be made to prepare for the war. The main road was crowded with people, wagons, buggies and horses. There was much confusion and much needed to be done.

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Six months had passed since that Sunday morning in April. Pa joined the army right away and Yancey ran off about two months ago to join up with General Lee's division. It had been hard work bring in the fall harvest but Ma, the children and the few slaves that still remained finally got the job done. William has been the man of the house and doing a good job but about a week ago fell out of the hayloft and broke his leg. This has made more work for Bobbie Lee and the younger children. Bobbie Lee is now hunting for meat every afternoon.

Late one night when Bobbie Lee and Ma were working in the pantry they heard a knock at the kitchen door. Ma jumped with fright and started towards the door carrying a lantern. Bobbie Lee grabbed the large cast iron skillet off the wall and followed her mother. Slowly Ma opened the door and in fell a Confederal soldier covered with blood. Ma turned him over and started crying. It was Yancey. Bobbie Lee couldn't believe it. He looked so young and pale. She helped Ma get Yancey to the bed in the cook's old room. He kept mumbling something about a message to a general and he needed a horse.

Bobbie Lee helped her Ma tend Yancey's wounded shoulder for the next hour. Yancey seemed to be doing better and Bobbie Lee went to the kitchen to warm some soup. She had left the door open and could hear her Ma and Yancey talking. She heard Ma say "don't let Bobbie Lee know about this" and that is when Bobbie Lee moved closer to the door. Yancey was showing Ma a small piece of paper that was an important message he had to get to General Lee at Twin Oaks Crossing before morning. It told General Lee about a supply train carrying weapons and silver for the Yankees that was to be commandeered by Lee's outfit tomorrow at noon. Ma said he wasn't well enough and wouldn't last an hour and she would go herself. Yancey was saying no when he lost consciousness and Ma took the slip of paper and placed it in her small Bible that she carried in her apron pocket.

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Ma came into the kitchen and told Bobbie Lee to stay with Yancey while she went upstairs to change her clothes. Ma took off her apron and carefully laid it over the back of the rocking chair. Bobbie Lee was determined that her mother would not go on this dangerous mission. Her family needed Ma more than they needed Bobbie Lee. She remembered when she did the laundry this morning that she washed Will's overalls and several of his old shirts. They were still hanging on the line outside the kitchen door and Bobbie Lee hoped her plan would work.

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She had been riding several hours since she had taken Scout out of the stables and riden off to deliver the message. Dixie was following closely at Scout's side. Bobbie Lee was cold and tired and knew Dixie must feel the same way so she reached down and scooped the dog up to her lap. Thank goodness there was a full moon or she might have gone off the trail. She cut across a large field and hoped she hadn't missed the cut off. She thought she should have reached Twin Oaks Crossing by now when all of a sudden a dark figure appeared in the road ahead and Dixie became to growl and struggle to jump down. Her heart was pounding and she was trying to decide where to go when the figure called out "Halt. Who goes there?".

Part 3

She stopped and said " ah, my name is Bobbie Lee Page, Sir".

The sentry slowly walked closer and she could see he had on a torn Confederate uniform. "What are you doin' out here, boy?".

Quickly she thought "if he thinks I am a boy because of my clothes and name then I had better be one." She spoke deeper this time "I have an important message for General Lee".

The sentry snickered and replied "HA! You have an important message for the General? You boy? That's a good one. Well, follow me."

*****
A half hour later, after delivering the message about the Yankee supply train to Robert E. Lee, Bobbie Lee was leaving the General's tent when he said "Hey boy, it seems to me that Billy Page had only two sons, his twins, and his third child was a daughter and that one was named after me." And with that he took off Bobbie Lee's hat and her long blond hair came tumbling down. The General laughed. "Well now, Miss Bobbie Lee Page, that is a mighty fine joke on me."

Bobbie Lee said quickly "Sir, I didn't mean it as a joke or an insult. I just couldn't have my mother leave my younger sisters and my two injured brothers alone and it seemed wiser to be dressed as my brother."

The General called to one of his officers. "Bring me that little problem the men found this morning." He turned to Bobbie Lee and said "Now that I know you are a responsible girl ... uh, young lady, perhaps you could help me. This morning my men found a baby boy in an bombed out farmhouse. The parents were both killed so my men brought him back to camp but we certainly can't keep him here, especially if we are going to over take that supply train this morning. Will you take him home with you?"

Bobbie Lee didn't hesitant. She knew what her Ma would do and she reached for the little bundle.

It was a much longer ride home with the baby and the sun had been up for hours. She was very tired and so was Dixie who was slowly walking behind the horse. As she rode across a field of deep purple violets she could see the white picket fence around the farmhouse. A few minutes later she could see her Ma standing on the porch leaning against her broom and scanning the horizon for her return.

Part 4

A few minutes later she could see her Ma standing on the porch leaning against her broom and scanning the horizon for her return.

Scout slowly walked up to the the front porch and began nibbling at a red apple hanging from the nearest tree. Dixie limped over to her water bowl and looked around hoping for some food. Bobbie Lee stayed seated on Scout and watched Ma come down the steps. She was worried about what Ma was going to say about her slipping off during the night but when she looked down at Ma she could only see tears of joy in her eyes.
Years later, Ma would say that something good had come from the war, she had gotten baby Charles.

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