Promise & Honor by Kim Murphy - Paid

When the cannon roared to life, spectators sent up a round of cheers. Checkered cloths and baskets filled with fried chicken and fine pastries lay spread across open grass. Children romped. As champagne corks popped, women shielded delicate skin with gaily-colored parasols. Eager to witness the deciding battle, congressmen had brought their families for a picnic. The first men in blue started falling, and mouths gaped at a totally unexpected sight--blood.