Sevierville Sam saves the infant Sarah and the Sons of the Smokeys carry the Standard to answer an anguished mother’s prayers. Sam and his cousin had engaged the Rebel forces early in the Battle of Chickamauga, were captured by General Wheeler’s Cavalry and rescued by their, giant or not, mountain kin. After rejoining their outfit, “Big Sam” and his shorter cousin, were covering the retreat of General Thomas from the bloody field at Chickamauga. Sam had not gotten any smaller, but his comrades had just started referring to him as “Big Sam”, because he was huge compared to the rest of the boys.
Sevierville Sam or “Big Sam”, had many neighbors, friends,family,cousins and kin among his unit and all were heavily engaged holding back the Confederate infantry on the outskirts of a small village, several miles south of Chattanooga. The village had been a quaint and remote outpost, a stage stop, a couple of stores, a dozen or so homes and a boarding house, half a mile off the main road. All were now in shambles, artillery fire and steady infantry volleys, had reduced the burg to rubble. Sevierville Sam and his Sons of the Smokeys, had taken refuge in the ruins and were pouring a devastating fire into the Rebel ranks. “Big Sam” and his Smokey Mountain boys were all crack shots, learning to shoot before they could walk and every rifle report resulted in a fallen gray trooper.
Sevierville Sam and his cousin had secluded themselves behind a wall of a destroyed store, on the main street, with a clear field of fire for several hundred yards, no “Johnny Rebs” could show themselves without being exposed to a deadly fusilade from “Big Sam, his cousin and the Sons of the Smokeys. Sevierville Sam had just taken a deep breath, drawn another mortal bead and just before squeezing the trigger, he thought he heard a calf or a sheep bleating to his right. It was a god-awful and distracting noise, “Big Sam” glanced in the direction of the squealing and was shocked at the sight of a toddling infant wandering from side to side down the road. It appeared to be a blonde infant, dragging some sort of stuffed creature, thoroughly undone and not knowing which way to go. Sevierville Sam, propped his rifle against the wall, told his cousin to cover him, dashed from his safety, sprinted to the baby girl, scooped her up in one arm and returned breathless, to the covering ruins of the store.
“Big Sam” and his smaller cousin, examined the screaming package from top to bottom, turning her over and over, they determined that the toddler was not damaged, laid her and the stuffed creature against the wall, wondering out loud, what are we going to do now? They wouldn’t have to worry long, an instant later, a bugle sounded retreat and Sevierville Sam and his smaller cousin, grabbed the squalling bundle, including the stuffed creature and made a hasty flight for a sunken creek bed a mile to the rear.
Finally all the neighbors, friends, family, cousins and kin, at least those that were left, gathered on the banks of the creek and thronged around, the now sleeping, blonde bundle and stuffed creature. They all marveled at how peaceful and angelic she looked, amid all the noise, blood and gore, here this gift from God had joined their ranks and brought a little peace, serenity and sanity, to the Sons of the Smokeys. Darkness was coming soon and the boys needed something to keep their baby warm. Sevierville Sam, pulled the Unit’s Standard from his blouse and began wrapping the blonde, slumbering bundle, in the Sons of the Smokey’s Standard and all the neighbors, friends, family, cousins and kin smiled and knew that their blonde baby girl would be kept safe and snug in the folds of their beloved Standard.
At dawn, the following day, orders passed down the line, to fix bayonets and retake the smoldering town. “Big Sam,” his smaller cousin, and the remaining Sons of the Smokeys encircled the now smiling, blonde bundle, stuffed creature, swaddled in their Smokey’s Standard. Sevierville Sam bluntly stated that he would lead the advance and for the rest to follow him and the Standard. At that “Big Sam” and his smaller cousin, climbed the bank, rifle in one hand, blonde infant, stuffed creature and swaddled Standard in the other and sprinted toward the infants destroyed home. The Rebs got one look at the screaming and thundering Mountain giants and scrambled for their lives, totally evacuating the hapless village.
As Sevierville Sam and his smaller cousin entered the town, the blonde bundle started that god-awful squalling, unbelievably loud and both wondered, how could a package so small emit such a blood curdling and unbearable racket. As “Big Sam” was unwrapping the blonde bundle and stuffed creature from the Standard, a young woman came running up, hysterically screaming; My baby… My baby…. you have found my baby Sarah!
Sevierville Sam, his smaller cousin, neighbors, friends, family, cousins and kin surrounded the young mother, blonde baby and stuffed creature, just smiling, missing their own families, with a lasting memory of the tale of Sevierville Sam Saves Sarah and how they kept the precious blonde bundle and stuffed creature, wrapped in the Sons of the Smokey’s Standard.
Bummer
