Sweetgrass

The Civil War is over for Master Sergeant Johnathan Traver and Private Esher Coley, both badly injured in the Battle of Fredericksburg in May of 1863, a devastating loss for the Union Army. Together with Luther, a man in their squad renowned for his knowledge of healing plants, who is also wounded, they leave the Army. They head for Luther’s home in Kentucky to heal themselves with his store of medicinal herbs and plants. After a grueling trek, they reach Luther’s home and family. His wife and three children all pitch in to restore the men back to health. When Johnathan recov- ers he teaches the children how to read, helps Luther collect plants, and begins preparing for the eventual trip to homestead on the Prairie with Esher, who is still unconscious. When Esher recovers he is shocked to find out all that Johnathan has purchased and wants to undo them. Money is finite to Esher who grew up poor, but it is in- finite to Johnathan who grew up wealthy. They have more clashes over money that are amusing. The biggest clash is about the wife offered to Esher. To Johnathan’s distress he thinks about it! It is a sad day when they leave Luther and his family for the Prairie. Everyone knows they will never see each other again. After many adventures they join a wagon train in April, 1864. They meet Gladys, a widow fleeing her coal town past to pursue her dream of having a home and garden of her own. It is a fortuitous meeting, but not so for others on the train. At literally gunpoint, Johnathan, Esher, and Gladys are ejected from the train and left in the middle of the night in the middle of the Prairie.  3