untitled -Addy

The Civil War has been in full swing for nearly two years! My name is Virginia Harison and I've lived in Ohio all my life. My family and I live on the edge of the Great Ohio River. The war has greatly effected my family because my grandfather convinced my brother to fight for the South's cause when he went to visit in July of 1860. My father moved us to the banks of the great Ohio a year after. His belief in the slaves' freedom brought us here!
That was three years ago, before my mother answered the door in our great brick Ohio home to three black men, two women, and a child. They had swum the river through the night hoping the child would make it through the frigid splashes of water drenching their bodies throughout the night. They had seen the tourch outside of my parent's bedroom hoping that our magnificent home was a fugitive slave mansion. Willing to help them reach their next stop on the way to freedom during the warm summer's night.
Now mama is talking to a white man in uniform. Gray. A confederate soldier bearing a great flag folded with a medal on top. Father starts to cry. My brother had been killed in the bloodiest battle of Antietam. It took place in a small town in Maryland. the cold, murkey day got only worse as time passed by. Father took the flag from the man and thanked him for retuning my brother's medals. As father pulled himself up the squeaky steps of our old home up to his study, mother invited the confederate man in. At that point, I was furrious at everything: my brother for running off and getting killed, my father for not even wanting to know how it happened, my mother for being so calm in this time of distress, the confederate soldier for sending my brother into the field in the first place, and finally myself for putting so much belief in the union cause that my heart is hardly broken at the death of my only sibling.
When I look back upon that day, I can only think of how much I hated the confederates and how it was their belief that sent my brother to his grave. Ever since the confederate soldier left our home, Father became more and more determined to free more slaves. Cold and hungry, he would house and feed them, give them hope on their large hard gourney to freedom. His whole life was based around conducting the Underground Railroad and his death was a burden to the hearts for many. Now Father is gone, mother is gone and on the warm, comforting day, I head home to recall such harsh and wonderful memories in our large Ohio home.
The rears rush to my eyes as I think back on all of those years with my family in that house. Coming back to this house has to be on of the hardest things I have ever done. It brings back the hurt and sorrow of when I lost my brother to the horid slave movement and the civil war. I remember my family was not the only people hurt by my brother's death. His best friend and quite the boy of my fancy, John Booth was devistated when he heard the news. Bootsie, as we called him, was enraged not only to have lost a best friend, but also seeing me hurt so badly. Together for two years we were down and thinking of ways to try and soothe the horrible feeling we got when we thought of my brother. Finally John asked me who's fault I thought it was. At fisrt I wanted to say my father's for not stopping my brother from leaving. However, it seems the more I thought about it, it was the slaves for running off. No, it was the officers for sending people to fight. OF COURSE! President Lincoln. All of this was his doing. It was his fault we are in this war, it was he who declared war, his fault my brother was even thinking about war, and his fault my father was helping slaves against my brother's will. All of this was Lincoln's fault. But how would that help any of the pain Bootsie and I were feeling.
Just then John and I looked each other right in the eye. Of course! To get rid of our problems, we must start withe the source. We must eliminate Lincoln.
From that moment on, John and I schemed, weasled, and wound our way to Washington. From there we were stuck. No one seemed to know where Lincoln was. If you ask me, I bet another on of those sickly sons of his died!
The rain was pounding the muddy streets as John and I tried to find an open room in the busy city.
"Quick, let's get in here!" said John. He opened two large wooden doors.
"Bootise, we can't! that's the Ford's Theater, that is! if we get caught without a ticket, they'll throw us in the jailhouse for sure!"
"Look, I've got connections. You have to trust me on this. My brother-in-law is one fo the stars in this production, 'Love in Livery'. See, ' John Sleeper Clark' as one of the leads. Bright as day, its right there!"
Once I was relieved that we would have a story to back up our late appearance into the theater, I worked my way up the wooden steps. The old door creaked ludly as we waske in, but the comedy "love in Livery" was underway. No one in the audience notice our abrupt stumble through the entryway. The only person who noticed our late arrival was the doorsman, but that was expected. I mean, its the man's job!
"Oye! You two will have to wait until the next show unless you've got special tickets". He quickly stopped John and me before we could slip by unnoticed, looking like we were headed for our seats.
"Oh," said Bootsie, as polite as possible. "You see my good man, I am family. You see that man up on stage now? Yes, well he is my brother-in-law. My sister has saved us a seat up in the lower balcony."
"Ah, sir, forgive my I didn't, but, well you can go, but does the tramp at your side have any relation?"
Apalled that he would call me a tramp just because I was in a day dress, not a night silk gown furriated me!
"I do! I am his wife, and I would appretiate it if you showed a bit more respect for women!"
The doorman's face turned a deep red as he aplogized for his rudeness. He showed us the way to the lower balcony and we made our way to the end of the row right next to the Commander's Cabinet.
We watched the show and acted as though that was what we were there for all along. When the show reached Intermission, John and I both notice the gaurds had left to go check on the carriage. I was the perfect time to make our move, but suddenly, I twinged inside.
"John, something doesn't feel right, should we really be doing this?" I asked.
"Of course we shouldnt be doing this you stupid adolecant," hius adrenaline was going. I could tell he was nervous. "We are about to kill the most powerful and beloved man in the country! You can't seriously be having second thoughts about it! He is the reason your brother is dead! He tore your family apart, without ever meeting any of you! Are you honestly goin to back our now, after all we've gone through to get here? I don't care what you do Virginia, but my best friend, your brother, died trying to prove this man wrong. We can finish his work, but we have to do it now! There's no other time. The gaurdes are gone and no one is paying attention. We must move quickly."
John had risen to his feet while explaining all of this to me in his harsh tone.
"What may I do to help?" I asked in a quiet voive, undertanding that we must hurry.
"You see those poles over there in the corner?" he nodded toward them so I knoew what he was talking about. "Go recieve those and give me one and you take tho other. I'll take one in withe me and pretend I am one of the guards. Tehn I'll set the bar over the door and I need to you to do the same from the outside. Then you, get OUT! If anyone finds out a woman was involved in this, it will mean shame on your whole family.
"I understand John, but if the door is going to be barred on each side, how are you to get away?" I could feel my heart thumping in my throat.
"I'm going to jump, run across the stage so peaople think its part of the show and head out the back door behing stage."
"I see, but Honh," I said hesitently. "Jonh, I love you. I will be waiting for you at the Southeast Navy Yard Bridge. Promise me John, promise me you'll meet me there."
"Virginia, I've loved you all my life. I'd been waiting on you and of course my dear, I will meet you."
What happened next was unedxpected by either of us. The most passionate kiss ever endured by anyone was laid upon me.
Idod not want to go! I could not leave my JOhn, but yet, he had promised to meet me soon after our duty was done.
"Right," said John. "Its time to give Lincoln what he had coming since 1860!"
That was it. Iran over, grabbed the two ples John had pinted out and handed one to hime. He pulled out his 44 caliber dinger pistol, nodded, and that was the last time I ever saw him.
I did as he had said. I waited until he was insid and latched the door from the outside. Following his intructions yet again, I fled the theater. I'm not sure hat happened next. All I remember thinking is...What have I done!!!?


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