Student Essay on Uncivilized War

The boy awoke to the sound of the morning trumpet call and the strong smell of the campfire that was used to make breakfast outside his tent. He released a loud yawn as he rolled out of his sleeping sack and slowly dressed himself in the blue uniform of the union army soldier. Checking to make sure he was dressed correctly he stumbled out of the tent and put on his socks and shoes. He quickly ran in line for breakfast and sat down with his bowl of soggy oatmeal and bread. The other soldiers talked excitedly amongst themselves. They were excited for the first battle of the war. The boy paid no attention and quickly devoured his food despite its complete lack of taste. After eating the young boy lined up with the other soldiers of his regiment hands shaking with anticipation. The captain walked back and forth across the line straightening uniforms and checking belts and shoes. When the captain came to him he whispered into the boy's ear "you ready for this son"" and the boy promptly responded "Yes sir! I am proud to serve my country sir." With that the captain addressing the whole regiment yelled "It's time boys! We fight today! Will we win today boys"" The regiment responded "Sir, yes sir!" "Then prepare your guns boys, we are settin' off!"

So the boy prepared his rifle and clicked on the bayonet. They marched for hours behind five other regiments approaching Manassas Junction, Virginia. When they arrived near their destination the general shouted out their orders and sent them into battle. The boy ran into battle quickly taking cover behind a tree. He shot and hit an enemy soldier and quickly reloaded. The sounds of gunfire echoed in his ears as he pulled the trigger a second time hitting yet another confederate soldier. He paused a second to look on the casualties so far. Many of his regiment lay dead or dying on the ground and the smell of blood soon found his nose. He saw another boy die from a shot the throat. He saw life's glow leave his eyes as blood sprayed from his neck. He shot again and again killing his enemy over and over. The smell of blood was now replaced with the smell of gunpowder. A loud boom sounded behind him. He turned to see that the enemy had brought out cannons. He watched as the cannonball ripped through an entire regiment taking one man's head clear off his shoulders. Then return fire came from the union cannons. So the deafening battle continued and he too continued to shoot enemies from the cover of his tree. For hours and hours this went on more and more dying every second the scent of stagnant blood again filling the air.

Then just as he noticed the enemy's numbers dwindling, he saw reinforcements arrive. A look of horror shown upon his face, they now almost outnumbered the union army. He took another look around him hearing the screams of his fellow soldiers between the cannon fire and seeing the severely injured bleed slowly to death. A fellow soldier approached him amidst the fog of war and asked that they might work together and increase their chances of survival. The boy immediately agreed and they began to commence firing on the opposing army. The other soldier took his place behind an adjacent tree, a little smaller than the one the boy was behind. They each shot well hitting many soldiers almost always on the head. They began shouting to each other information about themselves. They established that they were from neighboring cities in New York and even had the same last name, McKinnely, only they were spelled differently. Then when the boy stopped hearing his companion's voice he turned and saw that he had been shot twice in both the right leg and left shoulder. He quickly ran to his side telling him everything was going to be fine and that he would make it. He quickly tore off some of his uniform and wrapped it around his leg tightly. The other soldier had begun to shake as the boy screamed for a medic.

He waited for about an hour and half the entire time screaming for a medic before one finally arrived. The medic looked at him ad asked his name. The boy told him the soldier's name and asked what he was going to do. He told the boy he was not sure he would have to look at it. Following this response a bullet whizzed by the boy's head hitting the tree behind him. They all ducked down until they were sure the threat was gone. The boy then complied with the medic's request to hold his partner's leg down. The medic took a knife and dug out the bullet from his leg all the while the soldier screaming in pain. After removing the bullet the medic wrapped up the man's leg and that is when the boy was hit on his left leg. Screaming in pain he blacked out

He later awoke beside his friend in the makeshift hospital outside the battle field. He saw that they had to amputate his friend's leg just below the hip. They were each glad they were alive and greeted each other. Soon afterwards they were let out of the "hospital" and gazed upon the aftermath of the battle. What was once green grass and flowers was now a rustic brown stained field covered with the blood of both armies. Upon asking a wandering officer they discovered that they had lost the battle. They both gazed in silence at the piles being made of all the dead union soldiers taller than they were and each containing roughly fifty men. Upon smelling a strong odor they turned to see the piles of discarded limbs outside the "hospital." They talked of how people had come to watch the battle and have picnics during the ongoing battle. Then they saw the boy's captain among one of the piles of dead on the field. They both smelled the charred flesh as they approached the body to confirm the captain's identity. Over the next two months the two soldier's talked more and more to each other of the aftermath of the battle describing in great detail the recurring dreams they each had every night. They often discussed the oncoming battle, which the other soldier could not take part in due to his missing leg. The boy expressed a great amount of dismay when he discovered that he would have to fight in the next battle since he was almost fully recovered.

Upon the day before the battle the boy again awoke to the sound of the morning trumpet and again ate his oatmeal for breakfast. This time however, there was no excited collective conversation among the troops. This time the boy took his time eating his food all the while noting the placid and almost gloomy expressions on most everyone's face. When they began the march to battle the pace was much slower. Arriving at their destination the boy quickly ran out into the open of the field screaming "there are things far worse than death!" and was immediately shot by nine enemy soldiers. As the boy slowly bled to death on the field the battle raged on around him and he whispered "why can't war be as civilized as death""