"General Howa- Oh sorry to disturb you general" one of Oliver O. Howard's subordinates said turning away. General Howard was kneeling over his bed and praying. He then did the crucifix symbol on his head, chest, and shoulders before standing. He approached the subordinate.
"That is alright Major. A man should never be afraid to express his spirit and how much he loves the lord above" Howard said. He turned his back from the Major and closed his eyes to finish the prayer.
Oliver O. Howard the commanding general of the Army of the Ohio was a very religious gentleman and a very capable commander of his men. Ever since Carbondale, Howard had been praying more often then he would. Often calling to the lord to give him guidance on how to disband this equine menace. Many in the Army of the Ohio could care less of the general's religious affiliations since he was a staunch and capable commander.
"Amen" Howard said and stood to his feet. Walking out of the tent with the major he took a wide look of the camp and the surrounding land. The Army of the Ohio was camped out on the other side of Middletown on the banks of the Mad River. Middletown was a small community of 2,500 wayward settlers and other Americans mostly interested in rural farming, heading out west, or commuting to Cincinnati just south. Howard was given imperative instructions by Grant not to enter or engage with any pony armies in the vicinity especially those that may approach Cincinnati.
General Howard reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a letter that Grant had given him before leaving Carbondale. He must have read it at least a dozen times but, another couldn't hurt. It went as "General Howard, You cannot willingly get in an engagement with the ponies especially if they get you into a street brawl in Cincinnati. I will not guarantee your armies survival in an urban environment for a long duration. If you choose to get involved in a situation such as that the only Armies close enough to support you are General Sherman and General Granger. Although they are only 130 miles to the South they might not be able to show in time to see you win the day. If the enemy is upon you proceed with caution and try to defeat them soundly or retreat accordingly until a more suitable position can be established. God Speed and glory for the Union!" signed Ulysses S. Grant. General of the Union Armies and General of the Army of the Potomac.
Howard looked up and scanned his eyes across the army. The Army of the James numbered at about 95,000 men and was considered one of the smaller armies in the Union (especially when compared to the Army of the Tennessee and the Army of Kentucky that numbered close to 200,000+ and the Army of the James in Maryland that numbered close to 300,000+). The Army of the Ohio was thought not to take on such larger forces and work more as a wandering army that could be readily deployed elsewhere in the Midwest if need be. Howard sighed to himself.
"Well at least we not worry for some large force" Howard thought.
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"Yuck how can these humans live so filthy" Rarity exclaimed wiping her foot off of mud. The Army of the Crystal Empire had been on the march through Kentucky and now slyly laid nearer the border Kentucky and Ohio in Maysville. The ponies had traveled relatively undetected through Kentucky and now rested after marching on the banks of the Ohio River. "Someone bring me a towel right this instant" Rarity called to one of her subordinates who she treated more as chauffeur's then actual military individuals. A younger mare came trotting along with a clean white towel. Rarity dappled her forehead and then stared down the mare. "That will be all". The mare with tail between her legs scurried back to her fellow officers.
The weather in that part of the country had been unusually hot and humid and it made progress somewhat slower than what was originally suspected. Nonetheless, the ponies moved nearly effortlessly to avoid detection from the Union Armies potentially on the prowl. Rarity took out her personal compact mirror. It was a silver case with two red heart shaped gems and Rarity's name engraved in glossy writing. On the back of the watch it said, "To Rarity my love. Your's forever, Spike". Rarity let out a small smile. "Oh my little Spikey Wikey how I wish I could I see you" she thought. She popped open the mirror and looked at her hair. It was all frizzled and frazzled from the hot and humid weather. She reached into one of the sacks on her back and pulled out a hairbrush. She slowly brushed it to remove as many of the knots and unnatural curls that were being made.
"Ah now that's better" she said to herself. Her eyes then darted over to the group of junior officers who were staring at her like statues in the snow. "Well aren't you all going to your soldiers" Rarity said her eyebrow raised. One of the officers approached her quivering slightly. Rarity was at times quite surly and a little rude to her underlings but, she was also a fierce and determined fighter that many in the Army of the Crystal Empire respected and trusted with some of the more dangerous tactical situations presented to the equine soldiers.
"General we found a survivor from Maysville. We think he might be a Union scout" the lieutenant said. As soon as the Army of the Crystal Empire went into Maysville they pillaged it for all its worth so as to begin inciting fear among the populace. Rarity was hoping to draw out one of the Union armies onto a battleground of her choosing especially since her Army was one of the biggest in all of Equestria numbering nearly 210,000. Rarity raised an eyebrow and looked at the lieutenant.
"Well bring him over. What are you waiting for?" she said. The lieutenant saluted and scurried back to the group of junior officers. Behind them out came a young man in a blue shell jacket and blue trousers. His face was bruised and a large garish lash had been stricken along the front of him. With his hands bound two unicorn's threw him to the ground. He coughed loudly as he kicked up dirt where he lay. Rarity slowly walked over to him and put a foot against the side of his head. Her head met his.
"Well well what do we have here?" she said mockingly. The young man stared at Rarity unflinchingly although you could see tremendous fear in his eyes. "So, do you know where the rest of your sniveling compatriots are hiding in this awful land" Rarity said. The young man said nothing. Rarity pushed her hoof harder on the side of the man's head. He whelped quietly with pain. "Oh so you do squeak?" she said. "Where are the rest of your kind hiding". The man finally spoke.
"I won't tell you a fucking thing you four legged monster" the young man said with blood trickling from his mouth. Rarity scoffed.
"How rude!" she exclaimed. Her hoof pressed harder on the side of his head. Again the man whelped but, did not say a thing. Rarity began to grow more impatient at the insolence of this human. She pressed even harder on his head. The young man was writhing in pain as his head felt like it was being crushed by a vice. But, again the man said nothing. Rarity finally relented. "If you won't talk then we have other means" she said with a sinister tone. She waved a hoof over to one of her junior officers.
"Yes general?"
"Bring me the scorcher"
"At once General"
The junior officer disappeared for a short while. Upon returning they produced a branding iron that was as red as the sun and bore the symbol of Princess Celestia's house. Two unicorns came and pulled down the pants of the young man exposing his buttocks. One unicorn took the branding iron while the other held the young man in place. Rarity's face once again met the man's.
"I played fair with you all this time and you still won't speak. You have left me no other choice. Since your kind seems so keen on branding ours it is only fair that we give you a symbol of gratitude" Rarity said with a devilish grin. The unicorn edged closer and closer with the branding iron. The young man prepared for the worst pain imaginable that was to come. The searing hot pain from the branding iron combined with his already grievous wounds would surely kill him. The young man closed his eyes and thought of his home.
"HOLD WHAT YOU ARE DOING!" came a voice. Rarity, the young man, the unicorn attendants, and the junior officers looked to where the voice came from. A Pegasus was approaching from the sky. It was one of Rarity's scouts. "General Rarity! I have a report for you from the scouts" he said. Rarity walked over to the scout.
"Read your report" Rarity said keenly.
"Yes sir" the scout said as he produced a scroll. He laid it out in the dirt and began to read.
"Reports indicate to stay far and away from Louisville, Kentucky. Two Union Armies with unknown size are present and are actively scouting the surrounding area including Lexington. Decision would dictate to look further north at Cincinnati, Ohio. A much smaller Union Army is only present in the outskirts of the city to the north and could be easily dispatched. Union scouts are traveling the roads more frequently in the daytime so it could be best to travel at night and along the Ohio River to avoid detection on approach to Cincinnati. Further instructions are needed". The scout finished and gave the report to Rarity. All the while the two unicorn's still stood with the branding iron and the young man's ass hanging in the air.
Rarity slowly turned back to the young man. "See? That wasn't so hard" she said with a grin. The young man's eyes were screaming in pain and anger. Rarity saluted the scout. "Thank You again. This will be a great benefit to us all" Rarity exclaimed. Turning to her junior officers. "Make ready the army we are marching to Cincinnati at dusk" she commanded. The junior officers saluted before darting off in various directions of the Corps and divisional commanders camps. Rarity turned her gaze back to the young man.
"However, we must set an example" she said. She looked at the Pegasus' guards and nodded. They applied the branding iron. The young man screamed in violent pain before his throat was slit cleanly. Rarity simply walked away back to her tent in preparation for the Army's departure.
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A courier approached General Howard's camp at dusk. Howard was just about to sit down to supper with his officers when the courier approached in a huff and mild panic. "General sir General beg to report!" the courier shouted between breaths. A major got up and walked up to the courier.
"What's your report Corporal?" the major said. The courier handed the major a note and the major walked it over to Howard. Howard held the letter near a fire and read:
"Advance scouts approaching from some mass of ponies. Yet unknown size. Movement is sporadic and for a large part undetected. Last reported sighting was in Flemingsburg and Murphysville. Further instruction is required." Howard looked up from the letter.
"What did it say sir?" asked a colonel.
"It says a group of ponies is in the vicinity. It can't yet be determined if its an Army" Howard said. He stroked his beard slightly and thought. Grant warned not to bring on a general engagement due to the size of the Army of the Ohio however this might be nothing more than a raiding party. They could be aiming to attack Cincinnati or to draw the Army of the Ohio away in order to get them in a wild goose chase. One thing Howard thought with confidence is it couldn't be an Army otherwise the Army of Tennessee and the Army of Kentucky would be on the move. Howard sat for a moment.
He finally spoke, "Whose element is the furthest south of the Army?" Howard asked.
"General McClerand's division" a colonel said. Howard thought again about Grant's words but disregarded them again since this might have been nothing but a small raiding party.
"Tell McClernand to go immediately to Cincinnati and to address the situation" Howard ordered. The courier saluted and rode off to the south. Howard and the junior officers sat in silence.
"Pardon me sir but is it wise to send just a division? It could be an army" an officer questioned.
"I hope it is enough" Howard said quietly.
"Do not bring on a general engagement". Grant's words echoed in Howard's head.