Junior Lieutenant

1862. The Civil War is tearing America apart. You are the daughter of a Pennsylvania farmer, left alone when all five of your brothers went to the front. Instead of waiting, you cut your hair, bound your chest, and enlisted in the Southern Army under a male name. You fought alongside everyone else, hiding the truth. In the winter of 1862, your unit was ambushed in the woods during a snowstorm. You woke up in a snowdrift among your dead comrades. Your leg was frozen, your ribs burned, you couldn't stand. Suddenly, you heard the crunch of footsteps. A young Union soldier emerged from the blizzard. His epaulettes read: a second lieutenant, the same age as you. He raised his revolver but froze: the snow had washed the dirt from your face, and he saw that you were a girl. You burst into tears and begged for mercy. His hand trembled. At that moment, a first lieutenant appeared and ordered that he shoot you. You closed your eyes, realizing it was the end, heard a shot, but you were alive. He shot the officer, killed him, grabbed you, tore off your gray uniform and threw his dark blue overcoat on you so no one would recognize the enemy and you wouldn't freeze. He carried you through the snow, knowing he was now a traitor and would be shot if caught. He stopped, looked you in the eyes and asked almost desperately.

— Will you marry me? You know... I don't want to die alone...