Randall’s Ramblings, June 1, 2025

After going through a few weeks with hardly seeing any deer and wild turkeys, they must have found their way back. Each day, we now see multiple deer and turkeys, not in the numbers we used to, but still there’s as many as eight deer and about 8 turkeys. Of course, the squirrels and birds are still visiting in their normal numbers. It’s always a treat to see the wildlife.

The Detroit Tigers had a better week. They played another six games over the past week, winning five while only dropping one. Their record is now 38-21. They are still on top of the American League’s Central Division with a six game lead over Cleveland and Minnesota. Kansas City if another game behind, while the Chicago White Sox are in the cellar, 19.5 games out. Roll on Tigers!

“Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein. Compliments of  https://getfreewrite.com/blogs/writin....

So who was born on this date in history? Let’s find out who in the writing world was born on June 1st, the twenty-second Sunday of 2025 and the first one in June. (Compliments of https://www.onthisday.com/birthdays/).

Francesco Scipione, marchese di Maffei, Italian archaeologist and dramatist (Merope); Ferdinand Raimund, Austrian actor and playwright (The Spendthrift, The Maid from Fairyland); William Wilfred Campbell, Canadian poet (Beyond the Hills of Dream, Ian of the Orcades); António Feijó, Portuguese poet and diplomat; John Masefield, British writer and poet (Salt-Water Ballads), Poet Laureate (1930-67); John Drinkwater, English poet and playwright (Abraham Lincoln); Charles Kay Ogden, British writer, philosopher, and linguist (Basic English, The Cambridge Magazine); John Van Druten, English playwright (I Remember Mama, I am a Camera); Bill Deedes [William Francis Deedes], British politician, journalist, and editor of The Daily Telegraph (1974-86); Povel Ramel, Swedish singer, pianist, author, composer, and comedian (Ratataa or Staffan Stolle Story, The Great Amateur); Dilia Díaz Cisneros, Venezuelan teacher and poet; Christopher Lasch, American historian and author (The Culture of Narcissism); Philo Bregstein, Dutch writer and film director (The Past that Lives, In Search of Jewish Amsterdam); Gerald Scarfe, British illustrator (The Sunday Times; The New Yorker: Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”); Tom Mankiewicz, screenwriter (Diamonds are Forever); Ralph Morse, British actor, singer and writer of historical dramas; Ahron Bregman, Israeli author, journalist, and Arab–Israeli specialist (The Fifty Years War: Israel and the Arabs; A History of Israel); and Amy Schumer, American comedian, writer and producer (Inside Amy Schumer).

Any names familiar to you? There was one  for me this week: Amy Schumer. Whether you recognize anyone on the list or not, if today’s your special day I hope you have a great one!

My Work In Progress

Things are going full steam ahead with Harding’s Challenge: The Great Rebellion. All chapters are now posted to the two online subscription sites I use. There were twenty-three new chapter reviews this week, bringing the total to 193. As always, plenty of feedback to improve the story.

Here’s another snippet:

As planned, the following morning Stringham’s ships opened fire on Fort Clark.

Before long, Confederate forces fled from the fort and raced down the beach to Fort Hatteras, leaving Butler’s soldiers and marines’ unfettered access.

During the previous evening, Flag Officer Samuel Barron, Chief of Coastal Defenses in Virginia and North Carolina. He watched the 7th NC Volunteers abandon the fort without a fight and shook his head. He turned to one of his aides. “Take as many of our men as possible and proceed to Fort Hatteras.”

“What about you, sir?”

“As soon as we spike the guns with nails, we will follow.”

Before long, the Union fleet turned their attention to Fort Hatteras. A heavy bombardment began, lasting for three hours.

Flag Officer Barron adjusted the bandage on his arm, which covered a wound caused by shell fragments. “Will someone put up a white towel or a sheet to signal our surrender? I can’t bear to see any more of our brave men suffer the consequences of this folly.”

“I think we should hold onto the fort.” Captain John Thomas Cohoon, commander of Fort Hatteras, frowned. “I informed Colonel Martin earlier that we required more men to man the cannons and attack the Yankees.”

“Pray tell, where is the good colonel?”

Cohoon swallowed. “He went onto the mainland earlier to request aide form Portsmouth.”

“I see.” Barron gritted his teeth. “As the senior officer, I’ve decided we will surrender. See to it.”

“Yes, sir.”

Shelling continued throughout the day. Eventually, a white flag was raised.

Barron called a council of war. “How many men have we lost?”

Cohoon studied his feet. “Four dead, sir. Another thirty have severe injuries.”

“Very well.” He wrote a note and handed it to Cohoon. “Have someone take this to the Yankees.

“Yes, sir. I shall take it myself.” Cohoon saluted and left.

When he approached the Union positions, he was halted at gunpoint. “I have a note of surrender from Flag Officer Barron. I’m Captain Cohoon. Who’s in charge here?”

“General Butler.”

“Take me to him.”

Two Union soldiers stepped forward, aiming their weapons toward Cohoon. They marched him to where General Butler sat inside a tent.

“General, a Reb wants to see you. Says he has a surrender note.”

The general waved the man forward and held out his hand. “Give me the message.”

Cohoon handed the note to the general, saluted, and stepped back.

Butler read the note before crushing it into a ball. “No. Tell your commander only unconditional surrender is acceptable.”

“Yes, sir.” Cohoon saluted again before he was led away.

***

Latimer processed the latest images taken by two of his birds. He shook his head as he began counting Confederate soldiers being led away. “Must be over six hundred.” He wiped the tears from his eyes. “I must get word to President Davis.” He prepared a dispatch for the president and called for a rider.

More next time.

This brings us to an end for another week. I hope you found something of interest. If you have any suggestions for a topic you’d like to read about, please let me know. Until the next time, thank you for reading and hope you drop in again.

© Copyright 2025 Randall Krzak. All rights reserved