American West Story - Retail Audio Sample
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Young Adult (18-35)Accents
North American (General) North American (US General American - GenAM) North American (US South)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
Chapter one Off to War. Much to my family's dismay, I joined the Northern Army and headed off to war I was under the command of General William Tecumseh Sherman and fought in the 1st Battle of Bull Run. I began my new direction life proudly wearing a brand new *** and span uniform, which made me feel important. However, by the end of the war my uniform was as tattered, stained and torn as the man who wore it. Since heading off to my duties as a soldier in the Northern Army, things were never the same in our family. My older sister Sarah married a gentleman who was from the Deep South. Although we had a great relationship, a cordial silence ensued in our family before heading off to war. We never discussed our views of family gatherings. I think we all knew would only lead to a very contentious path we could never reverse from. We all just kept our views and check through our awkward family gatherings during my first years in the war, I lost many friends and came to realize the importance of my faith. After a few months of the daily reality of war, I stopped writing letters back home. The never ending trials of war quickly took over my life. My former life back home slowly drifted away. The days, weeks and months seemed like one long day for me, my fellow soldiers and I hope and pray that each new day would bring an end to an endless battle. 1865. War ends that day did finally become a reality when a soldier came galloping through our camp, firing his pistol into the air, one would think that the news would make me jump up and down. That was not how it was for me, the war had drained all emotion out of me. My uniform shoes and socks were muddied and wet from the previous day's heavy rain. All I wanted was to sit by the campfire in silence and try to get warm. The war's end was a time of exoneration for some and total destitution for others. A new era began and an old era ended. I fought for the north and truly believed in the cause, but in the end I felt the loss for all who suffered both north south and all who were caught in the middle of it all. We tend to believe that all people from the north all hold the same values and all people from the south all share the same values as well. Many of the people I encountered in the south were as kind and caring as the people I knew from back home. For me, it was not the people that were my enemies, but rather the deeply held ideals that divided us with the civil war ending. I had to contemplate my next move in life. A lot of the other soldiers spoke about reenlisting and going off to the indian wars. I heard about a general named Custer who was looking for men to join his command. They say that he commanded the 7th cavalry. Having experienced with horses all my life, I figured that I would fit right in. A lieutenant from my company said that Custer and his troops were the sharpest group of soldiers he had ever seen. I thought that maybe it would be a good adventure for me. Besides, it would be great to have a new uniform. However, I needed some time away from the battle and soon found myself in a small town in Montana. I rented a room next to a local saloon and soon became a regular guest. I would just sit there for hours drinking and trying to figure out my next steps in life. The Indian wars were going on and I figured I would re enlist and join general Custer onto my next life's adventure. The summer months that followed quickly passed, and so did my cast reserve. I realized I had to make a concrete decision on my future. On a summer afternoon in the middle of july I was sitting alone at the dove tree saloon in the center of town. As usual, there was a very raucous crowd. Everyone was just enjoying their drinks, flirting with the barmaids and enjoying the tunes that were being played from an old out of tune piano with missing keys. No one seemed to mind just how bad the off tune piano sounded. I think everyone was just so caught up in the moment. That was a long time coming for many, the Dove tree saloon brought in people from all walks of life. I enjoyed watching the various people who frequented the establishment. The ray of customers included gamblers, hustlers, gossips, farmers, cowboys, soldiers, and just plain folk looking for a good time. I could pretty much tell each person's story by the way he or she spoke, dressed and acted in general. Ma always said that I was pretty good at noticing details about people that most folks didn't notice. She said I should become an agent for Pinkerton's detective agency.