Commander Annie

The rained poured down on the colonial house. Not many by passers would’ve guessed that the small building housed 9 people. The liquid dripped through the shifty roof and landed on Annie’s head. She awakened startled.

Annie wasn’t old, though she had been married once, and her husband had sadly died. She had lived with her brother, his wife, and the children for a year now. She looked around the bedroom, everyone was asleep, expect for poor Johnny, she thought sighing. He was away at battle.

Her brother was one of the few soldiers who got paid to fight, and still the family could not get end’s meat. Jonathan was high in rank in the army now, she thought proudly.

She remembered the errand she had to run and got dressed quickly, putting on the garments so she could go into town. First the shift, the stay, the hoops and stockings, then the bodice, stomacher, and petticoat, finally the gown, cap, and shoes. She added her mother’s jewelry and wa la, she was done.

When Annie came back Bess was up and cooking breakfast in the kitchen. Bess, her brother’s wife, was fair with wispy golden hair. She too had gotten dressed and was waking the children.

“Eleanor!” she yelled to the upstairs, “Hannah, Elizabeth, George, Charles, Nicholas!” She stirred some porridge in a pot for a few minutes until calling again, “Children, breakfast!” With the last call 6 fully dressed children ran down the steps and greeted their mother. “Hello Mum!” they greeted smiling, “Hello Aunty Ann!”

Annie smiled at her nieces and nephews. To her they were like her own children, and she new each and every one of them down to the bone.

Hannah and Eleanor helped their mother with breakfast, and Annie set the table as the other family members sat down in their seats. As she drank her milk and ate the porridge, Annie couldn’t be happy. She missed her older brother so much. She new Bess and the kids did too.

There was a knock on the door and Nicholas answered to find a very weary Jonathan Underhill.

“Father!” he grinned, and leaned back into the kitchen, “Its father guys!” Annie ran out to great and scolded playfully, “Jonathan Underhill, you’ve been gone longer than there’s been a king in England!” He looked up, his dusty brown hair covered by his hat. “Thankee Annie, Its nice t’ see you too!” As he greeted his wife and children, his brown eyes gleamed jollily.
“Annie” he whispered when they were walking back to the kitchen, “I need to speak t’ you privately.”

After some porridge, he took Annie upstairs as Bess and the children cleaned up. “Ann.” He said looking nervously at her face, “I’ feels awful Annie awful. I must have picked something up at battle, but I have to go out next week and I don’t think I’m healthy enough! “

“John!” Annie said, looking shocked by the information.

“And, I was wondering if you could go for me Ann.” Before she could open her mouth in protest, he spoke again, “Please Ann, please. If I don’t go, I’ll lose my job, how will I explain that to Bess and the kids?”

The look on his face was too sad to describe. Annie shook her head, knowing that except for her long hair, she looked exactly like the older twin.

Jonathan spent the next few days getting Annie ready, showing her battle plans and strategies, and Annie spent all her time getting a costume to fit properly.

When the day finally came for Annie to leave, John was sick in his bed with Bess and 6 children watching over him. They were too busy to notice her slip into her costume and tiptoe out of the house.

She arrived at her destination, and smiled. These clothes were kind of nice; they also were less hot than her layers of petticoats. She was nervous to though, her husband, poor Jacob had died in one of these expeditions. She shuddered thinking about the poor man.

Her hair was tucked beneath the hat, and cut short as any respectable woman would allow it. She stood with her gun and walked through the camp, and surveyed the soldier’s style of walking, talking, eating, and just plain living. Annie Underhill was a quick learner and soon new how to be a perfect John.

One of the head men called her into his tent and discussed battle ideas. “What do you think Jonathan?” the pug faced General asked snarling. “Well, well,” Annie said remembering Jonathan’s plans, “I think that we should start by the west and…”
“Wait a minute!” Ann thought suddenly, she realized a setback in her brother’s plan. So, like the stubborn woman she was, Annie spoke her idea…”I’ve gone through every way of attack sir.” She said smiling, “And this one’s the best…”

Annie turned around, barely missing getting hit by a bullet. In the heat of the battle, Annie had lost her mind in fright. The young girl had seen many men die, and many men press on, but at the end, they won.. It wasn’t a big victory, so it isn’t one you’ll hear about, but “Jonathan Underhill’s plans had, saved many lives.” The newspaper said, with the big title Blow to The British at the top.

When the pug faced general stopped by the house to see John her smiled at Annie. “Your brother’s a real hero my gal!” he said.

When he found out from a confused Bess that, “My husband’s sick and, he’s been in bed.” The general looked worried. “No wonder he sounded so strange yesterday.” He said frowning. But he stared at Annie on his way out and glimmer came into his eye. He winked to her, and went out the door.

The very next day it seems, John was out of bed, astounding the physicians who said the illness takes weeks to heal.
Annie swirled around the kitchen in her petticoats. She was back to kitchen duty, children duty, and errand duty. But the girl would never forget her day of freedom, the day “Jonathan Underhill” became a hero.