Chapter 10 | The Discharge
What a wonderful day- November 15, 1783! John had been with the American forces for over a year and today was dressed in his finest uniform. As he took his position as Brigadier General Armand’s forces lined up on the parade field in York, Pennsylvania, he couldn’t help but think of how far he had come from that terrible Winchester prisoner barracks last October. It hadn’t been a difficult decision to join the American forces. Then Colonel Armand, of the Light Horse division, was very persuasive, and the promise of land for his service was something he could never have dreamed of. And it was a way out of those God-awful barracks. Besides that, he had never felt really good about fighting the Americans, especially since so many of them were people like him, even from his own area of Germany.
It had been a year of change and a devastatingly sad one. While in the prisoners barracks in Winchester, he had received word that his daughter had died of influenza. And only a few weeks later the rumor that his wife, who had never been happy that he had come to America to fight, may be living with another man. John had been anguished and depressed for several months. But gradually he had come to grips with his grief, and gained the fortitude to look to the future.
So here he was, on the day Armand’s troops would be officially discharged, and his fighting days would be over. Not that he had done much fighting during the past year. It was mostly maneuvers, and being ready for a battle that only came once. But, because it was the last battle of the war, it had gained some notoriety. “Attention in the Ranks!” shouted the general in charge. And as Brigadier General Armand, riding his magnificent horse, thanked the troops, and officially discharged them, John, and his trusted friend Conrad threw their hats into the air and John shouted “Hallelujah! The Lord be praised!” They had talked about their plans, and thought about staying in America. And John wondered if his son Georg would ever want to join him here.
They had received some discharge money, and John had saved some of the money that had come his way as a soldier. John had heard that German farmers in Maryland were anxious to hire discharged soldiers, and he also thought his friend Frederick Stuber might find work for him. He would be on his way to look for work the next day, after a grand night of celebration. John was excited about embarking on this new adventure, but little did he know what lie in store for him in this new land, nor could he possibly have predicted it.
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John and Conrad decided to travel together, and head for Winchester, Virginia. Luckily, they had been able to buy their horses from the cavalry for a small portion of their discharge pay, and were feeling good that they did not have to walk all the way back there.
John had early on named his sorrel horse Ansbach, after his home in Germany. Conrad called his dapple gray horse Willy, after their friend Wilheim, who was killed at Yorktown. Ansbach and Willy were both good horses, and John and Conrad were lucky to have them.
As they rode through Pennsylvania toward Maryland, John knew that they would have to find a place to live soon, since winter was beginning to come in full force. He could have camped out at night if it had been summer, but with the wind howling and snow not far away, keeping fed and warm would be the first priority.
The first night out of York, they found a farmer who was willing to bed down their horses, let them sleep in his barn, and give them breakfast for a few dollars. “I wonder if he has any daughters,” joked Conrad. as he snuggled into a warm spot in the hay, “It only seems right that we should meet some good women, now that we’re free men.” “I have forgotten what a woman looks like,” Wolfgang said with a smile, “ But I think I could pick one out of a crowd.” John was very tired, since they had gotten very little sleep the night before, and, aided by the warmth from the horses and other animals in the barn, he was soon fast asleep. Conrad was not far behind.
They were awakened early by all the activity in the barn, and soon were enjoying a good breakfast of eggs, bacon, and potatoes. The farmer, who said his name was Karl Goebel, had come to the colonies as a little boy with his father before the war has begun. He had been born in Gutenberg, but he was an American now. His wife had died suddenly four years ago, and he was living on the farm with his dog, a couple of cats, and his barnyard animals. He told his visitors that he and his wife had never had children, because, he said, “She didn’t cotton to the idea of bearing children.”
John liked Karl, and talked a lot with him about what he knew about Germany, and what he thought would happen in America now that the war had come to an end.
Karl, happy to have someone to talk to, was not shy about responding. He even invited John and Conrad to stay, and help him chop some wood to store for use in the next few months, but they politely declined, telling him that they had to meet someone in Winchester. Karl pointed them in the right direction, and they were off through the Pennsylvania countryside.
While riding the next couple of days, John had time to think about things, which he was often prone to do. He still had feelings for his wife-even though they had grown somewhat cold- and wondered if she would take him back if he were to return to Germany. But he also resented that she might have decided that he wasn’t coming back, and that it was her lot in life to live with Ernst the grocer. This troubled John, but he also knew that it had been over 6 years since he had left Ansbach, and that you couldn’t expect someone to wait for you forever. And there was Georg, his son. Georg would be 15 years old now, growing into a young man. What was he doing? What kind of a person had he grown up to be? Did he have a girlfriend? John vowed to write them, and keep in touch with Georg better now that he was free. Maybe even find a way to bring them to America.
John also thought about what he would do in America. He knew he wanted to work, but at what?
He didn’t think he wanted to be a farmer, even though he had been promised land in Ohio for serving with Armand. A promise is one thing, but really getting the land is another, he thought, and he dismissing the idea that he would ever see the land.
Just as John was worn out with so many questions, he pulled Ansbach to a sudden halt, and Conrad did the same with Willy. Ahead of them, blocking the trail were two pretty good sized men, who looked like they hadn’t washed or shaved for a month. The tallest one was carrying a sawed off shotgun, and the other had a pistol.
This looks like trouble, thought John, as he clamped his knee even more tightly over his saddle bag that contained all of the money he owned. It was too late to run, since the men had emerged quickly from the underbrush, and were right in front of them.
“Get your tired asses off those horses, give us your money, shut up and you’ll get no trouble,” said the short stocky one, brandishing his pistol like it was a bull whip. “I’d just as soon shoot you as look at you.” The big guy spat some tobacco on the ground, “You heard what he said,” he growled, “Give us your money, and you’ll live to tell your grandchildren. Try to pull any shenanigans, and you’ll be pushing up daisies.”
John and Conrad, almost in tandem, seized up the situation quickly. They knew that if they got off their horses, the thieves would not only take all of their hard earned money, but would scare off their horses, leaving both of them penniless and alone, twenty miles from nowhere.
John knew that Ansbach, when kicked with a heel in the left flank, would rear up with his front feet in the air, and make quite a spectacle. He also knew that his rife was loaded, and in the scabbard underneath his right leg.
It happened almost instantly. Ansbach reared high in the air, pawing with his front feet like a bull treading water. At the same time, John grabbed his rifle and begin firing at the feet of the thieves. As if they were tied together at the cord, at the same time, Conrad kicked Willy and as he charged the thieves like the White Horse going into battle, Conrad also found his rifle and fired to scare the thieves.
The two would be robbers crushed through the underbrush, ripping their clothes on the briars as they went. They rushed to their horses, tied to a small tree, leaped on, and raced away with shots ringing in their ears.
“Man, did you move fast,” exclaimed Conrad, “ Those guys never knew what hit ‘em!” John, surprised at his own actions, agreed. “I didn’t want to lose my money,” he said matter of factly, “ Those jailbirds didn’t know who they were coming up against. General Armand would be proud.” Conrad smiled at that remark, reloaded his rifle, and stuffed it back in its scabbard. Both of them rode just a little taller as they headed toward Winchester.
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John wasn’t surprised, when he arrived at Frederick Stuber’s house, to find that Frederick was in the same financial trouble he had been in when John left. The only thing new was that Frederick’s daughter was going to get married, and Frederick was an even more happier man.
Even though Frederick received John with genuine joy, it was clear that he would not be able to hire John to help him in the fields. If he got any help at all, it would be from his new son-in-law. But, since December was upon them, he insisted that John stay with him for awhile. Since Conrad had planned to travel on to look for some of his German relatives who lived near Harrisonberg, John agreed.
As had become his custom to do whenever possible, John attended church the following Sunday. Frederick was happy to have John go with his family, and his son-in-law to be. As they entered the church building, most of the people had already taken their place in their pews, and the worship was about to begin. John was totally surprised to see his old friend, Ewalt, across the aisle, with the girl he had been interested in when John was at the prisoner barracks. John caught Ewalt’s eye, and a smile passed between them. “Ewalt, the atheist,” thought John, “ It’s amazing how a woman can make a believer out of someone.” John was not surprised, even though he hadn’t seen Ewalt for well over a year, that he was still interested in the young lady. John knew he had been severly stricken by her.
After the service, Ewalt quickly sought John out, and as he and Jutta approached John, Ewalt beamed and said,”John, I’d like you to meet my new wife, Jutta. We were married last Christmas, and, as you can see, there will be a little Ewalt soon.” Jutta smiled proudly, and John could see that she was heavy with child. As they talked excitedly, John could see that Ewalt was very happy. He had been working with Jutta’s father, and it looked like they would become permanent partners.
John and Ewalt talked about the prisoners barracks, and about all that had happened to both of them in the past 15 months. “Where is that joker Jakob,” John asked, “ Is he married to a local lady too?” “Oh, haven’t you heard?” offered Ewalt solemnly, “ Jacob died in May. He became ill with some kind of spotted fever, and the doctors could do nothing.” “I sent all of his belongings to be delivered on the next boat back to Germany. We were all devastated. He was a good guy, and he had such a sense of humor.”
As John lay in his bed at the Stuber house that evening, he thought about his friends who had died. Karl, who died on the boat over, Wilhelm, killed at Yorkwown, and now Jakob, stricken by disease. They had all been like him- Hessian soldiers who wanted to go home when the war ended, and continue their lives. “Why them, and not me?” John thought, “Why have I been the lucky one?”
Yet, as he thought about it, he wasn’t sure he had been so lucky after all. He was separated, possibly permanently, from his wife. His daughter was dead. And perhaps his one possibility for true love and happiness now seemed like a fleeting star at night, appearing momentarily in the heavens, then falling completely out of sight. It was truly a time of new beginnings, and he began thinking about what he should do next.
A friend of Frederick’s had told him at church that there was a large plantation near Clear Spring, Maryland, that might have employment opportunities. “It might be worth a try,” he thought. Even with all of the problems in the past six years, he had a hard time suppressing a sort of good feeling that had been creeping into his life more often lately. As he read his Bible before going to sleep, and even though he had pangs of loneliness, he had this feeling that he was closer to God than ever before. But he still didn’t discount that somehow that Odoerfer guardian angel was in the background helping, too.