//------------------------------// // Chapter Nine // Story: North and South // by Tempest Wind //------------------------------// July 24th, 1861 Our men fought bravely, but the enemy repulsed me. Many valuable lives were lost. Our God was my shield. ===#=== The rain of earlier June had given way to the warmth and windiness of late July, as Flurry Heart and her company commanders began to drill their troops. The Army of Coltago was getting close to being ready to march if the quartermasters’ reports were any indication, but there was still, as Major General Moondancer constantly reminded her staff officers in their daily meetings, plenty of drilling and practice to get in before they marched south. Somewhere out there, her Aunt Twilight was fighting on the front line, making a name for herself alongside the other storied greats of the Union Army; of Lightning Charm, whose age had not tempered her ferocity in the slightest; of Tempest Wind, who was slowly gaining a reputation as a darling of the gutter press, taking several interviews and polarizing thoughts around her in one way or another - though her effectiveness in the fighting kept such bipartisan thoughts reasonably positive. Trixie Lulamoon and Princess Luna were out there too; Princess Luna ran the entirety of the Union Army at present, outside of the small Western Theatre, and General Lulamoon was busy keeping Aunt Twilight’s flank safe and secure. And then of course her Father, Shining Armor, was off in the West, supporting Macintosh Apple, who’d taken the nominal head of the theater himself. Reports from the West were sparse, and slow - and it seemed like very little was currently happening over there - which was fine with Flurry. Better for her Father to be as safe as he could be, with a war going on. Shaking herself out of her reverie, Brevetted Brigadier General Flurry Heart continued signing off on her latest requisition forms - marching shoes today - as her division practiced with their rifles, shooting at targets ranging roughly four hundred yards away. They were getting to be better shots the longer they sat in camp, and their marching and battle-movement was passable. Another month or so, and they’d likely be ready for a fight.  It wasn’t like there was any lack of fight ready for them, in any case. With the Army of Equestria’s initial three month billets ending and half of the Union Army headed back home, the Confederates had attempted to push twice into central Virginia, in an attempt to cut Tempest Wind’s Corps off from their depots up at Harpers’ Ferry. General Lightning Charm, stationed with her Regulars at Staunton, refused this not only once, but twice within the span of twenty days, fighting off reportedly two separate corps’ worth of Confederate Forces with ease, using excellent positioning and fortified locations to hold Staunton and its nearby riverine shipping lane, the James and Kanawha Canal.  No, there was plenty of fight waiting for Flurry and her Division once Moondancer’s Corps was ready to march south. Privately it worried Flurry Heart. She’d never fought in a war before, and like Moondancer was quick to remind her, she was barely out of officer school herself. But, she’d been given command of a division, and so command of a division she would take. Her fellow Division commanders, all of whom had actual practical training, were good help and easy to lean on whilst learning - Brigadier General Octavia especially, as she and Flurry bonded over their appreciation of more classical music, such as Bethooven, and Bach.  An aide knocked on the door of the room she’d claimed from the Coltago town hall as her command office, and with a simple reply, she ushered the stallion in. It was one of her company Lieutenants, who provided a quick, crisp salute that she quickly returned. “What have you got for me, Lieutenant?” “Newspaper for you ma’am, as requested.” The Lieutenant replied, hoofing over the paper. The Coltago Tribune was a reliable enough news source, and one Flurry Heart made use of often, at Moondancer’s recommendation; it was better for an officer to be as informed as possible, she posited, about as much as possible. “My thanks, Lieutenant. Anything else of note to report today?” “Not particularly, General, ma’am. No new injuries from drills or sickness, and nothing sent our way from General Moondancer.” “Very good, thank you. You’re dismissed.” Flurry would nod politely, returning the Lieutenant’s salute before he stepped out of the room.  With a quiet hum, Flurry regarded the newspaper idly, then blinked, doing a double-take and snatching the paper off of her desk with her magic to read it more clearly. Celestia to Invoke Enrollment Act “The Equestrian Throne has as of the 15th of this month passed an enrollment - or draft - act, to provide fresh ponypower to the growing Union Army. The Act is the first genuine National Conscription law placed into effect since the War in the Heavens, over one thousand years ago. The law is to require the enrollment of all able-bodied mares and stallions that are Equestrian citizens between the ages of 20 to 45, unless exempted by the act, which provides provisions for factory laborers, farm-owners, and ordained ministers of the gospel, as well as other exemptions laid out in the act itself. The Provost Marshal General’s office has been recreated under the leadership of Marshal General Wind Chill to oversee the deployment of the Enrollment act. Continued on Page 4.” Flurry Heart reviewed the headline once, then again, before laying it down with a frown. Aunt Celestia must be terribly worried about the enlistment slump, Flurry supposed, if she was ordering a full-fledged draft. This was likely to cause trouble, but with the Confederates maintaining the same large numbers as before the draft slump… Well, the act might be necessary. The war wasn’t likely to end any time soon, Flurry knew, and the battles being fought were consuming soldiers at a wildly larger rate than even the Badlands Campaign had - even though most of the battles currently being fought rated little more than a skirmish or minor battle. There was trouble brewing if the Union Army couldn’t get its numbers back up, of that, Flurry Heart was sure - and honestly scared.