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Captain J. J. Dickison

Lydia Hawke  presents:

  Excerpt: Jack reined in Choctaw as he and Ramon met Charlie head-on. “Yanks up the road,” the young trooper told them in a stage whisper. “Coming from St. Augustine.”
    “How many?” Ramon leaned forward in the saddle, looking in the direction where the land-based plunder patrols always originated.
    Charlie shook his head, talking fast with excitement. “Only spotted a couple of their scouts. More on horseback behind them, but I couldn’t get close enough for a good look. They must not have seen me, because they didn’t shoot or give chase.”
     “We could hide here, let them pass by, and make a head count." Jack figured the thick woods screening the Yanks’ passage down Tocoi Road could work to the scouts’ advantage as well. "Find out what we’re dealing with before we report.”
     Ramon nodded. “All right, Jack, let’s dismount. Charlie, take the horses out of sight, back in the woods and keep them quiet.”
     Jack slid off Choctaw and handed the reins to Charlie. He left his Enfield in the boot, keeping his revolver. He and Ramon ran into the roadside thicket and crouched behind a convenient palmetto. The trunk and broad fronds concealed them from view. Charlie trotted the horses away, the hooves drumming softly on the sandy earth. The hardware made no telltale rattles, as the scouts kept the sabers and other accoutrements muffled with rags.
      Within minutes Jack heard the approach of horses. He crouched lower and peered between the fronds at two vedettes, the forward scouts, riding by. Close behind them, as though deliberately keeping within sight of the outriders, came the rest of the mounted patrol. No doubt fear of capture kept their formation tight, a tribute to the success of Captain Dickison’s troop.
      At the head of the main body rode Jack’s father astride his mule. Was he serving as a guide? Or had he joined the patrol to take advantage of an escort as he traveled to his farm on the river?
Two blue-coated officers rode alongside Pop. Jack did not expect to recognize either of them. The only Yankee officer he knew was Prescott, whom he had put out of action, at least for a while.
      But there was something about the captain….
      Jack stared at the officer, who sat tall on his mount, his hand on his hip near his sidearm, his elbow cocked at a jaunty angle.
      Couldn’t be.
      He felt the blood drain from his face.
      What’s he doing here?  
      He hadn’t seen Dan in years, but the passage of time seemed to make no difference. He would have known his older brother anywhere.

 Reviews

        Definitely well worth the wait.  Lydia Hawke brought her sequel to an  end (I, for one, would love to see a "reconstruction sequel") in a most  believable way.   With her excellent writing ability, Ms. Hawke keeps her readers eager to  turn the next page.  Her characters are as real as the people in our daily  lives.  Each one facing decisions that are difficult to make.  
        Two brothers who love and respect one another but who have loyalties   that lie on different sides.  Doing their best to serve their side but  reverently hoping not to bring the other into harm's way.  A father who has faith in the original Union but comes to respect the younger son for  his loyalty to a cause in which the father opposes and all the strong women who do their best to aid those they love without bringing the wrath of opposing forces down on everyone's heads.
        This was a best read I have had the pleasure to enjoy in quite some time.  It gave me a glimpse of the Florida frontier that has been consigned to history for quite some time.
       Lorraine Neipert
    Florida Reenactors Online

Above photo by Wes Mayhle

Other Places

Suspense Fiction by
Lydia C. Filzen

 Silent Witness
Agility Suspense Unleashed

Nonfiction articles by Lydia Filzen frequently appear in:

Civil War News

Clay Today Newspaper

American Roads Travel Ezine

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