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Chapter 7 - Berdan sharpshooters

Rocky(Sarah)

pleaded with the officer to spare Henry's life, explaining that he was just a wounded soldier who needed her care. But the officer remained unmoved and insisted that Henry must pay for his crime of desertion.

Rocky refused to leave Henry's side and begged to be allowed to accompany him to the battlefield. The officer finally relented and allowed Rocky to go with Henry.

As they made their way to the battlefield, Rocky tended to Henry's wounds and tried to keep him comfortable. Despite the danger around them, Rocky never left Henry's side and continued to care for him every day.

And when the day of the battle finally came, Rocky fought alongside Henry, doing everything in her power to protect and defend him. Though they were outnumbered and outgunned, Rocky never gave up and continued to fight until the very end.

In the end, Henry and Rocky emerged victorious, but not without paying a heavy price. Both of them had suffered injuries, but they were alive and together...at a group of Berdan sharpshooters who were about 500 yards away from him. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his hand as he lined up the crosshairs of his scope with one of the enemy soldiers.

The Berdan sharpshooters were considered to be some of the best marksmen in the Union army, but Henry was confident in his own skills. He had been hunting since he was a boy and had trained with his rifle for hours every day.

As he took aim, he saw one of the Berdan sharpshooters raise his own weapon and point it in Henry's direction. Henry knew he had to act fast. He squeezed the trigger, and the Whitworth rifle let out a loud crack.

To his relief, he saw the Berdan sharpshooter slump forward and fall to the ground. But his celebration was short-lived. The other Berdan sharpshooters quickly retaliated, and Henry had to duck behind a nearby tree to avoid being...

hit by their bullets.

Henry knew he couldn't stay put for long. He had to keep moving if he wanted to survive. He quickly scanned the area and noticed a nearby ridge that offered him cover. He gestured to Sarah to follow him and ran towards the ridge, keeping his head low to avoid being shot.

As they reached the ridge, Henry turned around and put his back against it. He quickly reloaded his rifle and scanned the area for any more Berdan sharpshooters. He saw a few of them moving towards their position, but he knew he had the advantage of being behind cover.

Henry took another deep breath and aimed his rifle, waiting for the perfect shot. He saw one of the Berdan sharpshooters peeking out from behind a tree, trying to get a clear shot at Henry. Henry squeezed the trigger, and the Whitworth rifle let out another crack.

This time, he missed. The Berdan sharpshooter quickly ducked back behind the tree,...

but Henry knew he had given his position away. He quickly moved to a different spot, but the Berdan sharpshooters were closing in on him and Sarah.

Henry looked at Sarah, who was trying to reload her revolver. "Sarah, we need to move," he said, grabbing her hand.

They ran as fast as they could towards a nearby creek, hoping that it would provide them with some cover. As they ran, they could hear the sharpshooters' bullets whizzing past them. Henry knew they were getting closer.

They finally reached the creek and jumped in, submerging themselves in the icy water. Henry looked up and saw the Berdan sharpshooters approaching from the other side. They couldn't see them in the murky water, but Henry knew they were in trouble.

He gestured to Sarah to stay put and aimed his rifle, taking a deep breath. He knew it was a risky shot, but he had to take it. He squeezed the trigger,...and the sharpshooter who was leading the group fell to the ground. The others scattered, trying to figure out where the shot came from.

It was enough of a distraction for Henry and Sarah to make their way downstream, using the creek as cover. They knew they couldn't stay in the water for long, as it was freezing cold and they would get hypothermia quickly.

As they emerged from the creek and ran towards a nearby grove of trees, they could still hear the Berdan sharpshooters shouting and firing their weapons. Henry and Sarah both knew that they had to keep moving and stay ahead of them if they wanted to survive.

They reached the grove of trees and quickly hid behind one of the larger trunks. Henry checked his rifle and revolver, making sure they were both loaded and ready to go.

"Sarah, I'm going to create a bit of a distraction," he whispered. "When I do, I want you to head towards the south."

Sarah nodded...and kept her eyes on Henry. She trusted him completely and knew that he would keep her safe. As he prepared to create the distraction, Sarah took a deep breath and steeled herself for what was to come.

Henry stood up and fired off a few shots towards the Berdan sharpshooters. It was enough to draw their attention and cause them to move in his direction. He quickly ducked back behind the tree, giving Sarah the opening she needed.

She darted out from behind the tree and ran towards the south, not daring to look back to see if Henry was following. All she could hear was the sound of the Berdan sharpshooters in the distance, searching for them.

It felt like hours as Sarah ran, trying to put as much distance between herself and the sharpshooters as possible. She finally collapsed behind a large rock, gasping for breath and clutching her side. She had been hit, but the wound wasn't too serious.

As she lay there..., his heart pounding with fear as he saw her injured on the ground.

"Sarah! Thank god I found you!" Henry exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside her.

Sarah looked up at him, relief flooding through her. "Henry, thank god! I thought I was done for."

Henry quickly assessed her wound, tearing a strip of cloth from his shirt to use as a makeshift bandage. "It's not too deep, but we need to get you to a doctor," he said, helping her to her feet.

They made their way back to the town, Sarah leaning heavily on Henry as they navigated through the dark, silent streets. When they finally reached the doctor's office, Henry banged on the door until the doctor stumbled out, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

"My god, what's happened?" the doctor exclaimed, seeing Sarah's wound.

"We were attacked by sharpshooters," Henry explained, helping Sarah to lie down on the examination table.

The doctor quickly set to work