She wanted nothing more than to join her men but knew it was impossible for her to do. She couldn't ignore the man's well being, while not being sure of how strict his punishment may be when Nathan found out his indiscretion.
"Very well. We'll return to the house and wait until the battle is over. We can't do much anyway to affect the outcome. Good luck, Sir."
"Abigail, what are we up to? You never give in easily," Rose asked quietly as they slipped back down the road.
Abby gave her a mischievous smile. "Damn right we aren't giving in. I want to head east and turn their flank. If you remember from when we arrived, we can cross the creek bed with our horses a couple miles from here, then we'll sneak into the trees where those cannon are dug in and see what we can do. I'm betting the majority of redcoats are on the battlefield and there's just a skeleton crew on the big guns. We need to get crackin' though because daylight is coming."
It took them nearly three hours to stealthily flank the redcoats and sneak in behind the easternmost cannon. They tied the horses to trees and quietly slid in the last 50 yards where there were three soldiers loading and firing the cannon down on the militia. She told Rose her plan and together they pulled it off splendidly. When the soldier firing the cannon touched the flash hole with his taper, the girls timed their shots perfectly with the detonation of the cannon and two redcoats went down. The third was left standing in surprise wondering what had happened. He crouched low and peered over his escarpment looking for militia men to his front as a source of the gunfire that killed his compatriots. Abby quickly reloaded and waited until she heard the next cannon to the west fire, then she emptied the man's skull with a brilliant shot to the brainpan.
Satisfied, the two brave women moved on to the next cannon. The plan went like clockwork at first and they handily killed the first two, but the third man had his wits about him. When his companions tipped over dead, he spun around and seeing the blackpowder smoke from the girl's rifles, charged them immediately. He pulled a pistol from his waist belt and fired at Rose, narrowly missing her head and she ducked involuntarily as the bullet cracked by her ear. Abby bravely met him with her rapier drawn and he pulled his saber just before they clashed. He was a large man and the momentum of his charge bowled her over as she parried his blow.
She was struck nearly senseless and she struggled to rise, knowing she was too slow and sure death was coming. Suddenly, the man let out a cry of agony and Abby looked up in a daze to see Rose fastened to his back with her teeth buried in his neck, growling like a lioness. The man was a seasoned fighter and he threw himself backwards, crushing Rose between his broad back and the unyielding ground. The breath flew from her body with a loud grunt and she lost her grip on the redcoat. He scrambled to his knees just in time to receive Abby's dagger under his chin, the blade puncturing his upper palate and driving deep in his brain. He stiffened up like an oak tree and slowly tipped over on the ground, his heels beating a tattoo on the forest floor as his body spasmed and rattled out a death groan.
Abby ripped her dagger out and slashed his throat open for good measure, then knelt beside Rose who was on her hands and knees gasping for breath.
"Sweetheart, are you ok?" Abby cried in consternation. Rose whooped for breath a few more times and finally nodded her head.
"I think so, that fucker knocked me for a loop," she gasped out.
"Me too, the redcoat son of a bitch," Abby agreed shakily, she was still collecting herself from the man knocking her ass over teakettle. "I should know by now to shoot the biggest, meanest bastard before the little scrawny ones," she wisecracked with a rueful smile. The girls hugged tightly, then Rose kissed Abby softly on the lips and said, "I sure love you honey, thanks for coming to my rescue."
"And I love you, sweetheart. We'd better tidy up that last cannon before they kill more of our men."
Thankfully, the final cannon was manned by only two redcoats who were fixated on putting cannonballs downrange. It was a simple task to head shoot them both with well placed shots from their squirrel rifles. Rose recovered their horses while Abby pulled out her spyglass and perused the ongoing battle below them. Their vantage point was facing north and about a hundred feet in elevation higher than the razed tobacco field in front of them.
Abby spotted George, William, and the General along with Major Moore and they were literally fighting for their lives. Somehow they'd become separated from the main body of militia men and were slowly being pushed back to the steep creek bank by the redcoats.
Abby caught her breath in consternation, then sprang into action. "Rose, help me load the cannon, quickly now! Our men are in trouble!" Frantically, they rammed home powder and shot, then Abby dialed in the elevation on the rear screw until she was satisfied, then she grabbed the long pole used to lever the tongue of the carriage for windage. She did her absolute best to align the barrel with her intended targets, then put her spyglass to her eye.
"Go ahead, Rose!" she called out. There was a mighty blast and she watched the ball sail just behind the redcoats and plow into the ground throwing up a giant cloud of dust and dirt. What she thought was an officer spun about and furiously waved his hands in her direction. Apparently, he thought his men had fired a short round and he was berating them angrily. Abby chuckled grimly and together the two women reloaded as fast as they could. Abby raised the muzzle a touch and waited patiently until the men bunched up as their officer shouted orders over the din of battle, pointing here and there as he plotted how to finish off the militia men.
She took a last look through the glass at her father and his companions. They were laying prone in a small depression and shooting as fast as possible at the redcoats. Nathan turned his head and she saw his lips moving as he barked out an order. The men pulled their sabers and laid them at hand for their last ditch defense. She looked down her line of fire and hoped the ball wouldn't carry to far and hurt her men.
"That's the best I can do, Rose. The redcoats look like they're getting ready to charge our boys. Say a prayer and let 'em have it!" The concussion of the shot fluttered her blonde hair about her face but she didn't flinch at the sound. She watched the ball rip downrange and tear through the soldiers, arms and legs pinwheeled through the air along with a faint, pink mist. At least half of the men went down and the rest went to ground, perhaps a half dozen or so. The officer screamed and shouted, urging the men to get up and charge ahead. They slowly began to gather themselves and assault towards the trapped men.
"The horses, Rose! We need to ride down and help! Let's go!" Abby cried. They hurriedly jumped in their saddles and Abby led the way at a dead run down the hill and across the smoking field of battle. She was fixated on the soldiers that were now running towards their intended targets and she spurred her mount viciously. The girls gained on the redcoats rapidly and Abby called out to Rose. "Trample them down, Rose! Run right through them!"
Through the haze of battle she heard her father bellowing frantic orders. "Cease fire! Cease fire! Friendlies coming in!" Less than a handful of seconds later she smashed into the running line of redcoats. She tried to hold her horse steady but his legs tangled in redcoat bodies and he went down with a neigh of terror, tossing Abby high in the air. While airborne she heard Rose's horse connect with enemy bodies and her high voice yelling in anger. Abby plowed into the ground on her left side and slide to a painful halt, her shirt ripped halfway off her body.
She dimly heard George shouting for the men to charge as she staggered to her feet. Two redcoats were left upright and one of them was almost on her, his bayonet poised to impale her. She swiftly drew her rapier, but as she cleared the scabbard the man's head snapped sideways and his brains scattered over the smoking field. Rose had put him down with a well placed shot. The second man whom appeared to be the officer stood alone, the last among his men to be standing. He drew his saber and advanced towards the charging men, determined to die bravely.
Abby knew from his familiarity with his steel and the confidence in his stride that he would be a formidable opponent. She ran to confront him and heard the militia men calling out to her in dismay. Ignoring them, she addressed the officer with her sword and he was startled beyond words. One moment he was fighting militia men, the next he was braced by a beautiful blonde with nearly naked breasts and dazzling blue eyes, along with a razor sharp rapier.
Thinking she was merely an impediment, he casually swung at her with his saber, thinking she was an easy win. She turned his blow with a strong wrist and her riposte lanced his cheek wide open, so wide she saw the white of his teeth appear before being covered in a sheet of bright red blood. He cried out in surprise and she watched his eyes harden instantly. He came at her with purpose and suddenly she was in the fight of her life.
The man was good, as good as her father and possibly better, she thought. She watched his eyes carefully as they danced with death and she parried his blows numerous times in just a few moments. George and his companions arrived, panting for breath and in awe of the sight before them. Little Abby was holding her own! Suddenly, he made a lightning quick thrust and stabbed her deep in the thigh just above her knee, she tripped, then went down, and with a long stride, the redcoat pounced. She deftly rolled into him and between his outstretched legs. The men saw a flash in her left hand as her dagger took the officer in the groin and his femoral artery was parted in an instant.
