Civilians hired by the militia:
8 Quartermaster’s employees, including guide, blacksmith,
teamsters, 2 Indian scouts, and 23 mule packers
Oregon in 1864. Map by Johnson & Ward
Chapter 1: Playing Hooky
Will McDougall glanced over his shoulder, then tapped his heels against Shanty’s sides to spur the gelding along the road. He should be in school, but his friend Jonah Pershing had invited him to help on his family’s farm outside Oregon City. The two boys had been friends since before Will could remember, and Will was set on going. Though he hadn’t told his parents he was playing hooky.
At sixteen, Will didn’t see the point of attending school—he knew as much as his teachers, and he could learn what he needed from the newspapers. The Oregon City and Portland papers were full of stories about the War of Rebellion between Union and Secessionists. Violence had engulfed the nation since Fort Sumter, and it continued as of now, March 1864, almost three years later. Not only was there war in the East, but Indian attacks were frequent in Oregon. All of this was more important than classes at the academy.
As Will rode up the hillside out of Oregon City, he looked back to be sure Pa hadn’t seen him leave. No one followed—he’d escaped unseen. He patted Shanty’s shoulder. “Come on, boy,” he said. “Let’s have some fun.”
He and Shanty trotted east along a dirt road, passing through fields and forests as town turned to farmland. The morning air was clear, but a stiff wind blew, and Will hunkered down in his jacket, glad he’d remembered his gloves.
Mount Hood, visible on the horizon ahead of them, was snowcapped. But the high peak was white year-round, so he couldn’t tell if new snow had fallen in the mountains overnight. He shivered and urged Shanty to move a little faster.
Thirty minutes after leaving home, Will and his horse arrived at the farm where Jonah Pershing lived. Like Will, Jonah was sixteen. Jonah lived with his sister and her husband, Esther and Daniel Abercrombie. He was Esther’s youngest brother, and when their mother died, Esther took on raising Jonah.
Will dismounted, tied Shanty to the paddock railing, then went to find Jonah. He poked his head in the barn and saw his friend. “I’ve come to help,” Will said. “What are we planting today?”
“Beans, I think.” Jonah called over his shoulder to Sammy, Esther’s and Daniel’s oldest son. “Did Daniel say we was workin’ on beans today?”
“Yeah,” Sammy said. “In the south field.”
Daniel Abercrombie entered the barn. “Hello, Will. What are you doin’ here today?”
“Jonah invited me, sir,” Will said.
“Does your pa know?” Daniel asked.
Will shrugged with a glance at Jonah.
Daniel glared at Jonah. “You asked Will to leave his studies?”
Will tried to look innocent as he interceded for his friend. “I’m sure Pa won’t mind. He likes me to spend time outdoors.”
Daniel grunted. “When he lays into you, be sure he knows I ain’t had a part in it.” Then the farmer began harnessing a mule. “Grab the traces over there,” he ordered Will, pointing to leather straps hanging on the barn wall. “You and Jonah harness the other mule.”
“Why aren’t you using the oxen?” Will asked as he handed Jonah the straps. Mules tended to bite, though Daniel had trained his team well. Still, Will would rather work with the large placid oxen.
“Jack here is pesky,” Daniel said, slapping the mule’s hindquarters. “Needs to get out of the barn. We’ll let the oxen rest today. You ready to work, boys?”
Not sure if Daniel was talking to him or the mules, Will nodded. He untied Shanty and remounted his gelding to follow Daniel, Jonah, and Sammy to the south field.
By midafternoon, Will’s muscles ached, and he could barely feel his fingers and feet. Throughout the cold spring day, he’d followed the plow mule, dropping seed, raking over the furrows, and fetching whatever Daniel asked him to fetch. Jonah and Sammy had done the same.
“Good job, lads,” Daniel said, when they finished the field. “Let’s head back to the barn.”
Will wanted to be home in time to pretend he’d been at school. He made his excuses to Daniel and Jonah and turned Shanty toward town.
The sun hung over the hills across the Willamette River by the time Will reached the carriage house behind his family’s home. He led Shanty into his stall. The two carriage horses and his little sisters’ pony stood munching hay, but Pa’s stallion Valiente was gone. The family dog Rufus nosed at Will’s feet, no doubt sniffing at the strange smells from the country.
Will rubbed down the gelding, all the while murmuring to the horse about how much better the day had been than if he’d gone to school. As he finished grooming Shanty and was scooping out a bucket of oats for the horse, Pa entered the carriage house. Mac McDougall led Valiente into the stall next to Shanty, murmuring to his mount just like Will had talked to his gelding.
There was no hope of avoiding Pa, so Will greeted his father and offered Valiente a handful of Shanty’s oats. Valiente’s muzzle was turning gray, but the stallion was still a favorite in the family.
“What are you doing here, Will?” Pa asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I spent the day with Daniel and Jonah helping them plant.” No sense in lying—Pa always found out.
“What about school?” Pa asked.
