SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 - SATURDAY STORY.

 SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2022 - STORY

On Saturday I write fiction.  (Maybe I’ll get better)

I started writing about Gottfried the Great - a hero of Saxony last week.  We continue the story today.

Last week, a company of soldiers arrived in Heckendorf to draft young men as soldiers.  Four of the leaders of the village used non-violent methods to thwart the soldiers.  Only one man signed up for the army - Gottfried Quaas - son of Christoph Quaas.  

Today we see how Gottfried got on as a soldier.

********************

Captain Oster welcomed Gottfried into the Saxony Army.   He asked Gottfried, “Can you report to the garrison in Gera on November 5th?”

Gottfried had been thinking about this since he heard of it.  He had a duffle bag full of his necessary clothes and items and was ready to go.  

Gottfried responded, “Captain, I am almost ready now.  I could run home and get my duffle bag and be with you in maybe half an hour. The march back to Gera would be a good time to get to know 

The community of Heckendorf had set out a feast once they knew that the soldiers were not going to draft local men and that Gottfried Quaas would be joining the army.  It seemed like every house, every cook, had something just on the back burner to put out.  Wurst, sauerkraut, schnitzel, and plenty of beer. The soldiers wanted to return to Gera before dark. 

The Quaas family home was about a mile northwest of Heckendorf and Gottfried took his horse,  Donner, and went to gather his things.  Gottfried knew the army would supply a horse for him, but Donner had been his since they both were little.  Donner meant ‘thunder’ in German, and for that Gottfried thought it was appropriate to be his army horse. 

Only his grandfather, Hans Quaas, was at home when Gottfried got there.  Gottfried loved his grandfather and hugged him tightly as he said goodbye.  He picked up his duffle with his underwear and a couple of sets of casual clothes, picked up his razor and his Bible, and headed back to town.  

There, Gottfried said goodbye to his family and friends. His sister Sophie threw her hands around his neck and they both cried.  They were close in age with Gottfried only a year older and had gotten into the little troubles that siblings can find to do. 

Sophie said, “Please write to me”.

Gottfried with tears in his eyes said “I’ll miss you, pumpkin” (Pumpkin was his nickname for her.)

Sophie replied, “I’ll miss you, soldier boy.  Don’t get shot.  Make us proud”!!

Christoph also hugged his son.  “Be well, son,  May God bless and protect you”.

And, maybe the longest hug was with his Mom, Elizabeth Quaas. She didn’t say anything, but the tears were streaming down her face.  Moms are not allowed to have favorites, but this tow-headed blonde was one of her favorites.  She remembered his broken arm, his antics with the cows, and his exuberance.  But, her family was growing up.  Johann was married with a baby on the way, and Christina had married Marc Klotz and had the cutest daughter.  She had been blessed and now Gottfried was an adult and off to his own adventures.

Father Schmitz came from St. Stephans and the teachers showed up as well.  It was really quite a spontaneous celebration.  He gave Gottfried a blessing and a holy card.  But, as the sun got lower in the sky, Captain Oster was getting antsy about heading back.  

Coming to Gottfried, Captain Oster asked, “Are you ready son? We want to get back before it is too dark”.

Gottfried was enjoying the reception but knew it was time to get on the road.  “Yes, Captain, I’m ready”.  

Since Gottfried had a horse, Captain Oster paid Christoph Quaas the price for an army horse and soon the final hugs, tears, and goodbyes were said, and the squad got back on the road to Gera.  About the first bend in the road, Gottfried turned around for a minute and looked back at his town.  He would return, but he did not know when!!!

*****

The trip to Gera took about 2.5 hours and it was getting dark by the time they arrived.  

Gottfried rode next to Dietrich Schroeder, and Hans Krause.  Dietrich was from Hundhaupten.  Gottfried had never heard of it.  But, Gottfried was not a well-traveled person.  His father Christoph would take Johann with him to buy bulls or equipment.  They sold their cattle and excess field crops locally at Heckendorf and while Gottfried would help load wagons, he wasn’t generally involved in the sale process.  He was a stocky individual who looked like he could like a hay wagon by himself.  Hans was from Kraftsdorf.  Gottfried had been to Kraftsdorf when a Heckendorf boy married a Kraftsdorf girl and the family went to the wedding - but that was about five years ago.  Hans had also been at the wedding and knew the girl’s family.  Both young men had been in the army less than a year, so they were glad to share their experiences with Gottfried.

Captain Oster rode silently at the front.  Occasionally one of the other men would go up and talk with the commander and then drop back.  As the troop neared the Oberndorfer stream, the captain called Gottfried up to talk.

The Captain spoke first.

“Welcome Gottfried.  We’re glad you joined us - and we’re glad to get out of Heckendorf alive”.  He smiled at that comment.  “We’re part of Company 4 of the Saxony-Thuringia province which is headed by King Mallory.  King Mallory is generally in Dresden but also has a palace in Leipzig.  He has been King for only five years, having taken over after his father, King Gustaf died.  He is ambitious and wants to incorporate Saxony-Anhalt into our region and is preparing to battle King Rolfe from Saxony-Anhalt.  

“Of course, the really big players are Prussia and Austria in the German Confederation. I think they want a unified Germany - maybe like the American states across the sea.  I think King Mallory will not win, but maybe he thinks he can be a regional leader in a unified Germany.   He is putting pressure on his small army to be a leader in German reunification.  Thus he has sent us to recruit and draft men around the area.  On Thursday we are going to Zeitz, next week to Naumburg and Freyburg.  We will have to work some training in for you between our trips. 

“Some questions for you.  Do you know how to shoot?  Do you know how to march?  Do you know how to set up a tent?  Do you know how to cook?  What are your skills? And, maybe the most important, why did you join us?”

Gottfried listened to the questions and responded.  Yes, I know how to shoot.  We have a lot of deer, pheasant, bears, wolves, and boars in our area.  Since I was a boy, my father, brothers, and I would take about four days a year to hunt.  With that, I learned how to skin and cook game, and how to camp out.  We really didn’t camp much as most of our hunting was on our own property, but occasionally we would go into the forests with a neighboring farmer to shoot wolves.  Wolves and bears are the biggest menaces to our cattle and pigs.”

Gottfried laughed, “My biggest skill is that of taking care of animals.  By that, I mean I cleaned the pens, put down straw, and made sure the milk cows were milked, and the other animals fed and taken care of.  It’s not necessarily a favorite chore of farmers, but I do it well.  I can do some minor veterinary tasks too.  

He paused again.  “I am the fourth son of my father.  My eldest brother will inherit the family farm.  My second brother seems like he will be a farm equipment merchant.  My third brother is the scholar of the family and will become a teacher or a priest.  I haven’t traveled outside of Heckendorf much, and hope to see some of Germany.  I don’t really want to fight and I really don’t want to shoot and kill another human being.  I can drive most farm wagons and can do manual labor.

Captain Oster smiled.  “Not every new soldier wants to work in the stables or cook.  I think you’ll fit in nicely.  

They talked casually about the army, the benefits of getting paid (the King made sure his army got paid), having a cot, of having some time off occasionally to visit his family or to court a woman.  There were opportunities for advancement if he wanted to be an officer.  

*****

There were two men in the company that seemed cold to Gottfried.  Bruno Schneider and Karl Keinung.  They seemed to be older and maybe had been in the army longer and they would see that the new recruit was sufficiently harassed and belittled to be a good soldier.  They wouldn’t pull any tricks on this ride, but when they got back to base they would find some tricks.

*****

Oktober nights were cool in Thuringia and it was getting cold when they reached Thuringia.  5 additional soldiers did not go on the recruiting trip to Heckendorf.  One was the cook who had a thick stew going (and had watered it down a couple of times before they arrived).  

The men put their horses up and combed them down and made sure they had oats and feed.  It had been over 20 miles that day and the horses and men were tired.  Dietrich and Hans showed Gottfried where to stable his horse and where to bunk for the night.

After seeing to their horses, the men had the stew and washed it down with some good German ale.  It is said that an army marches on its stomach, and these stomachs were filled that evening.  

*****

After dinner, Gottfried went with Hans Krause to straighten the horse stalls.  A load of fresh hay was stacked on the south wall.  They used a wagon to clean out the stalls of manure and used hay, and then took that wagon to the back of the barn for unloading in a compost pile tomorrow.  They got a second wagon and filled it with fresh hay and distributed it to the stalls.  Gottfried stopped to view and get to know the horses.  A few sensed his presence and nuzzled him.  He stroked their manes and spoke soft words in their ears.  They worked together to put some oats in each feeding trough.  Hans noticed that Gottfried was quite the stable hand, gentle and yet definitely in charge.  

Hans warned Gottfried.  “Watch out for Bruno and Karl.  They like to harass new recruits.  It might not be tonight but be warned.  

Returning to the barracks, Hans and Gottfried were last in line to bathe - and maybe the most needing of a bath after shoveling manure for an hour.  

Then sore and tired, all the soldiers set off to their bunks.  Gottfried got sheets, a pillow, a pillowcase, and three blankets and made up his bed.  Tomorrow, the Captain would inspect their bed-making skills and Gottfried would probably get called out for not making his bed right.  

Then Gottfried looked for his duffle bag.  He had put it on his bunk when they got back from Heckendorf, and now it was gone.  He looked down the row and saw Hans looking back.  He saw Hans nod his head, first toward Bruno and then towards the barrack outhouse.  Gottfried didn’t say anything, but went looking for his duffle and found it on the roof of the outhouse.  

Gottfried thought “If that is the worst they can do, it’ll be okay”.  

*****

For the next week, Gottfried was busy.  He got a new uniform with brass buttons and a new rifle.  He practiced with the new rifle for three days and then Captain Oster had to check out his marksmanship.  He placed in the upper quadrille.  

On Sunday morning, Dietrich and Hans took him to Church at St. Norbert in Gera.  When got back, his bed was all messed up and Captain Oster had written him up for a messy bed.  Gottfried guessed who had messed it up, but he knew that he couldn’t complain and whine as the newcomer.  (He did see Bruno smiling from across the bunkhouse).  

*****

He fit well into the stables.  He was good at cleaning the stalls and taking care of the animals.  

Captain Oster was impressed. “Nobody likes cleaning out the manure, and yet, Gottfried, you excel at it.  Be careful, you might get so good, nobody can replace you!!”.  He smiled at that.

There was a soldier’s manual he had to read and had to pass tests.  He had been a good student at St. Stephans and passed all of his tests -except one -on the first try.  The one he had trouble with was the local towns in Thuringia, Saxony, Germany, Austria, and Europe.

*****

On Tuesday Morning, Gottfried couldn’t find his shaving kit.  So, he appeared at roll call without shaving.  Another demerit from Captain Oster.  

On Wednesday Morning as Gottfried was putting on his uniform, he noticed some mud on the pants leg.  Fortunately, he was early and washed it off before roll call, although his pants were wet.  Captain Oster noticed and said, “Gottfried, your pants are wet”.  Gottfried answered, “Sir.  I’m sorry Sir.  I spilled some water on my pants, Sir”.  

*****

To be continued next week.

LOVE WINS

Karen White, September 24, 2022, ©