Sal and Amanda Take Morgan's Victory March to the Battle of Cowpens by Mary Ann Solesbee

instructed.
    Ben was flabbergasted. He could not believe what he was hearing, but Sal and Amanda knew too much not to be telling the truth. Besides, they had always been there to help him.
    â€œWhat am I supposed to do?” Ben asked.
    â€œWe can’t tell you. You have to figure that out on your own. I guess it is sort of a test,” Amanda smiled.
    â€œWell, where is General Morgan now?” Ben asked.
    â€œHe had to go back into the statue, but he doesn’t want to stay there. He’s restless; that’s why the folks in Spartanburg have moved him so much…his restless spirit,” Sal explained.
    â€œIt’s up to you to set him free for good!” Amanda cheered as she grabbed Sal and headed toward the window.
    â€œOh, brother!”
    â€œWe have to go check on a game of Marco Polo the other salamanders are playing in the river,” Sal said.
    â€œToot-a-loo!” Amanda smiled.
    â€œWait!”
    But it was no use. Ben was as powerless to stop them as he had been to stop General Morgan’s spirit. He felt pretty helpless about the whole thing. He stared at the computer and wondered what to do next.
    He heard a voice from inside him. “Tell the truth!”
    â€œThat will be a new thing! I’ve been pretty good at dodging it lately,” he argued back.
    â€œTell the story!” the voice insisted.
    â€œI can do this,” Ben said to himself. “If General Morgan believes in me, I can believe in myself.”
    Ben sat down at the computer. The words of his speech seemed to pour out of him. He read and revised it until he was sure it was right. This time he did not get Jen or Grammy to read it or give him pointers and correct his mistakes. He felt inspired. He quickly printed the speech, shoved it in the contest envelope and ran out the door. He did not stop until it was in the mailbox.
    That night, Grammy asked, “Ben, I know you were working on your speech today. Want me to take a look?”
    â€œNo thanks, Grammy, I already mailed it!” Ben replied.
    Grammy looked amazed and said, “Ben, I can’t believe you did that without even showing it to me! I could have helped you.”
    â€œThen it would have been your speech,” Ben replied.
    Grammy asked if Jen had helped him at all.
    â€œWell, not directly, but she and some other friends gave me some information. I took it from there.”
    Ben looked away, hoping Grammy would not ask who the friends were.
    Grammy was dumbfounded. This was a new side of Ben that she had never seen; she didn’t know what to say.
    Jen was also flabbergasted the next day when she heard that he had already mailed his speech.
    â€œWhat is up with you?” Jen asked. “Were you abducted by aliens?”
    â€œSomething like that!” was all Ben would say.

Chapter 7
    Cowpens National Battlefield
    The next few months passed in a flurry of holidays and preparation for the big march. Ben, his cousins and Jen were all fitted for their reenactment outfits during Thanksgiving break. Sam and Ben spent the Christmas holidays at Grammy’s taking drum lessons so they could play in the reenactment.
    The boys never spoke of the time they went to the Johnson House unless they were sure they were alone. Sam told Ben that his father had found some of the relatives of the dead owners, and everyone in the town was speculating about what would happen to the house. This made Ben cringe. He wondered if anyone would find the box that contained the letter. He wanted to let someone know, but he did not dare!
    Ben wished he could tell Sam about the letter, Sal and Amanda and his visit with General Morgan, but he was afraid. Sam might tell someone else, and they would think he was crazy or worse. He had told some fibs along the way, but even he couldn’t make up these events.

    Finally, the day before the march arrived. Grammy took them all to Cowpens National Battlefield to see the movie and the lighted map