Flags on the Bayou

by James Lee Burke

This is a very strange war we are having. Yankees and Rebs come and go. White trash like the Red Legs attack and terrorize and rob both sides and see if they can outdo William Sherman in scorched-earth diplomacy. Most of them breathe through their mouths and think the words “Dred Scott” are a warning to stay away from Scottish people. Colored troops are captured and sold into slavery so they can stoke up all the other slaves. The Yankees have sunk boats up and down Bayou Teche, and now cannot get past the boats they chopped holes in. I am convinced this war was caused largely by people who had too much time on their hands.