“What you wanna do is dump yer powder down the barrel. Put in yer ball. Ram it. Rock yer hammer back and hold on!” The soldier handed the rifle back to Cotton, adding, “It’s gonna be smoky, so make sure there is something close by to give you cover after you shoot.” He nodded his head goofily and smiled as Della took her weapon and walked away. And that was the extent of her training with a rifle. Back in Boone, she could hit a small tree with a stone from twenty or thirty feet away. So she considered herself to have a good eye. The thought had never crossed her mind to aim at a living creature, but she was thinking differently now. And she had two specific targets in mind. She would have liked to practice some, but ammunition was in low supply and could not be wasted. One less musket ball in battle could cost a soldier his or her life. So she took practice shots in her mind. On the left stood Josiah J...
