Free The Last Full Measure by Ann Rinaldi

Pennsylvania Cavalry.
    "Ho," said Private Calhoun, "they have intense hostility toward us."
    "Hush," Lieutenant Marshall said. "We wouldn't be at war if they didn't. Fine group of horsemen. I've seen them in action."
    Then the privates asked about Marvelous. "She bound or free?" Private Calhoun questioned. "We heard there were a lot of free darkies in this town. That some of our soldiers captured a lot of 'em and took 'em south."
    "She's free." I might have said it a little too sassily.
    Calhoun looked at me, his eyes narrowing. "That so."
    "Yes," I said, politely now. "That's so."
    "Well, then," said Private Walker, "she's up for grabs, isn'tsh e?"
    "What do you mean," I asked, "
up for grabs?
"
    "What I mean," Walker explained patiently, "is that we have taken the town as of today, and you all are our prisoners. And that being the case, we can take this darkie girl here—what did you say her name was?"
    "Marvelous," I told him. "Her name is Marvelous Biggs."
    "Marvelous!" He near shouted it. "We can take her with us, because she is our prisoner now. Free no more, but ours. The spoils of war. And we can take her with us back down south. To slavery."
    The room went silent. The coffee bubbled on the stove. I heard Marvelous draw in her breath. I looked at her briefly, then at Walker, who looked so self-satisfied, I wanted to throw a dish of eggs in his face. Then I glanced at Calhoun, who had the audacity to wink at me. If I had David's Colt .45 I would kill him on the spot, I decided. Never mind that I did not know how to use it. I would learn how to use it.
    I looked at the lieutenant. He was sipping his coffee.
    I kept right on looking at him.
Someone in this room had better take charge
, I thought.
And soon. Before I go plumb crazy
.
    The lieutenant saw me eyeing him. I don't know what kind of look I had on my face, but he set his cup down in the saucer and smiled at me. "Great coffee," he said.
    My eyes were bulging out of my head. I was waiting, and he knew it.
    "Did you have something you wanted to say to me, Miss Tacy?" he asked gently.
    "Lieutenant." I composed myself, though it took all the effort I had. Somehow I knew that this man would accept no less. "Lieutenant, please, sir, Marvelous is my friend. Don't let them take her away south and put her into slavery. Please, sir. She is a good person. And, she's my friend."
    I wanted to say more. There was so much more I should say! A whole war was being fought out there and people were bleeding to death, and I could not even form the words to tell it.
    I have failed! I have said nothing to save Marvelous. What good am I?
    The lieutenant compressed his lips, nodded his head slightly, and folded his arms across his chest. "Do you think I could have more coffee?" he asked.
    I started to move.
    "No." He put up a hand. "Let Marvelous get it."
    Oh my God
, I thought.
He's trying to tell me he sees her as nothing but a slave
.
    Marvelous moved forward from her corner to fetch the coffeepot from the stove, brought it to the table, picked up the lieutenant's cup, and poured the coffee. Then she set the cup down carefully in front of him.
    He looked up at her. "Thank you, darling," he said.
    She nodded and moved away.
    He took the sugar bowl and put two teaspoons of sugar into his cup and stirred it slowly and carefully. While stirring, he spoke. "This is a terrible war," he said, as if musing to himself. "Men are dying horrible deaths all around. And the reason, the very reason is being acted out right here in this kitchen."
    He put the spoon into the saucer, poured some cream into the coffee, and considered the whole business as if the answer were in the cup. "If I could end it now, I'd end it. But I'm just an insignificant lieutenant. Nobody asks my opinion about important matters. But I'm being given the opportunity to give my opinion about an important matter now."
    He looked up at his men, first one, then the other, then at me. "She's your friend," he said. "I lost two